Former Blue House Chief Secretary Reveals President Moon's 'True Feelings'

Noh Young-min on President Moon's Pardon During Term: "There Might Be Such an Opportunity"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] The day after President Moon Jae-in drew a line at his New Year's press conference by saying, "It is not the time to talk about pardons for the two former presidents," the president's former chief of staff publicly made remarks suggesting that "there is a possibility of pardons within the term," attracting attention.

Former Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min appeared on the radio on the morning of the 19th and responded to the question, "If the two former presidents express remorse and apology, do you think pardons within the term are possible?" by saying, "Yes, I think such an opportunity could exist."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding President Moon's remarks, former Chief Noh explained, "The main purpose of pardons is national unity, and if there is insufficient public consensus, it could hinder national unity, which (President Moon) was concerned about," adding, "Since the judicial process has just ended, it is not appropriate to discuss pardons now."

His mention of President Moon's true feelings about the conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is also noteworthy. Former Chief Noh said, "I think it was not a situation where the president needed to intervene," but added, "He continuously sent signals to navigate well through the historic task of prosecutorial reform."

He explained that the president conveyed his message through both the Blue House senior secretaries' meeting and the Cabinet meeting. Regarding President Moon's evaluation of Prosecutor General Yoon as the Prosecutor General of the Moon Jae-in administration, former Chief Noh said, "It means that it is unimaginable for the Prosecutor General to abuse power for political purposes."

He added that President Moon's remarks were not intended to interfere with Prosecutor General Yoon's political participation after his retirement. However, former Chief Noh predicted that Prosecutor General Yoon would not participate in politics after his retirement.