People Power Party on Kim Kyung-soo's Pardon Prospect: "We Will Watch... No Party Position"

Lawmakers Evaluate as "Well Done" and "Should Be the Start of Cooperation"
Some Expect It to Become a Focal Point for 'Chinno·Chinmun' Factions

The People Power Party stated regarding the inclusion of former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo on the list of recipients for the 'August 15 Liberation Day Special Pardon and Reinstatement' that "since the government is currently reviewing the matter, we will carefully monitor the situation." Individual members of the People Power Party also gave positive evaluations, saying things like "We want to commend President Yoon Suk-yeol for doing a good job."

On the afternoon of the 9th, the People Power Party announced through a press release that "the party has not yet decided its stance on the reinstatement of former Governor Kim." Kim was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2021 for the 'Druking comment manipulation case' and served time, but was exempted from serving the remainder of his sentence through the 'New Year's special pardon' in December 2022. However, he was not reinstated, which means his eligibility to run for office is restricted until December 2027. Nevertheless, according to the legal community the day before, the Ministry of Justice's Pardon Review Committee included Kim on this year's Liberation Day reinstatement list.

Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo is entering the courtroom to attend the continuation of the appeal trial held at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on July 20, 2020.
Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Senior Spokesperson Kwak Kyu-taek met with reporters at the National Assembly that morning and evaluated, "If former Governor Kim receives reinstatement and is able to engage in political activities, that itself could be the beginning of bipartisan cooperation." Regarding opinions that party members might oppose Kim's reinstatement, he explained, "There could certainly be public opinion opposing the pardon and reinstatement of politicians from both ruling and opposition parties who were convicted."

When asked about the view that Kim's reinstatement is a strategic move to divide the opposition, Senior Spokesperson Kwak responded, "If you view everything from that perspective, there is no end to it."

Spokesperson Yoon Hee-seok appeared on CBS Radio that day and said, "There will likely be many attempts to interpret this politically, but that is the opposition's role," adding, "If former Governor Kim is reinstated, I want to positively evaluate it as something President Yoon did well." He analyzed, "The pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) and pro-Roh (pro-Roh Moo-hyun) factions will likely unite around former Governor Kim as a focal point," and "If Representative Cho Kuk is punished, those votes will probably go entirely to former Governor Kim."

Supreme Council Member Kim Je-won said on YTN Radio that day, "Many people are dissatisfied with the Democratic Party appearing like a one-man dictatorship under former leader Lee Jae-myung," and added, "I think this could be an opportunity for those who had been silent due to lack of a focal point to come together."