Politicians' reactions to the arrest of former President Lee Myung-bak varied Friday, though they converged on the call for an end to the dark chapter of the nation's presidential history riddled with corruption and power abuse.
On Thursday night, Lee, who led the country from 2008 to 2013, was put under detention on bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion and other charges, becoming the country's fourth former president to be arrested for corruption.
"I hope that the arrest of a former president, a tragedy in our constitutional history, will not happen again," Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook, noting that South Korea is in the process of "shoring up justice."
"The Democratic Party is viewing the arrest with a sense of graveness, and on this occasion, our party will strive to be stricter on itself," she added.
Noting that Lee and former President Park Geun-hye, who has been indicted in a separate corruption scandal, used to be the core members of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), Choo stressed the need for the rival party to shoulder "political responsibility."
Woo Won-shik, the floor leader of the ruling party, called for "strict" legal judgment for Lee's alleged crimes.
Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, speaking during a party meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday, March 21. (Yonhap)
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