"No Consideration for National Unity, Only Focused on Regime Re-Creation"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Former Bareunmirae Party leader Sohn Hak-kyu stated on the 18th that President Moon Jae-in’s comment regarding the pardons of former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, saying “Now is not the time to talk about it,” clearly indicates that “President Moon has refused the pardons” and expressed his “disappointment.”
On the same day, Sohn wrote on Facebook, “He is simply following the wishes of the pro-Moon supporters, including the 86 generation who demanded apology and consensus,” adding, “There is no consideration for national unity; he intends only to rely on his support base and focus solely on recreating the next administration centered around them.”
Sohn criticized, “The president’s role is not to elevate the wishes of his close associates as public opinion and blindly follow them. He must lead them in the right direction. That is true leadership. As everyone knows, the two former presidents will not remain imprisoned until they complete their sentences. It is likely that this issue will be left as an important topic to be used during the Seoul mayoral by-election or the next presidential election. It has become clear that the pardon issue will be used not for unity but to consolidate support through division.”
Sohn added, “Public sentiment is like water. President Moon and his supporters, who came to power through the Candlelight Revolution according to the will of the people, must remember that they could be toppled by public sentiment. The president must make national unity his highest political goal. He must vigorously move out of the dark cave of division and conflict into a wide open field. He must break free from the narrow fence he has built around himself.”
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