ROK opposition leader's arrest approved

Despite an opposition-controlled National Assembly, a motion seeking the arrest of the main opposition leader of the Republic of Korea was passed on Thursday.

The motion for the arrest of Lee Jae-myung, head of the Democratic Party of Korea, or DP, was passed by a 149-136 vote in a secret ballot. There were six abstained votes and four invalid votes. Lee's DP holds 168 seats in the 298-member parliament.

Three people did not show up for the session, including Lee, who was in hospital after 19 days of hunger strike. With the motion having been passed, Lee will need to appear in court before a judge to challenge his arrest.