Kang Deukgu Urges Liberation Day Pardon for Cho Kuk, Says "He Has Already Paid a Harsh Price"

Kang Deukgu: "Visited not long ago... He remained composed"
"Birth of the Lee Jaemyung administration owes something to Cho Kuk"
Presidential Office: "Pardon is the president's exclusive authority, no discussion has taken place"

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kang Deukgu has publicly proposed a special Liberation Day pardon for Cho Kuk, the former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, who is currently imprisoned on charges including admissions-related corruption involving his children. On the 26th, Kang wrote on his social media, "I propose a special 8·15 pardon for former lawmaker Cho Kuk," adding, "He and his family have already paid a harsh price for their alleged crimes."

Former Representative Cho Kuk of the National Innovation Party. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Kang stated, "I heard that National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik recently visited former lawmaker Cho Kuk. I also visited him not long ago. Seeing him maintain his composure reminded me once again of the devastation inflicted upon him and his family by the Yoon Sukyeol administration." He continued, "Why is former lawmaker Cho Kuk in prison? After opposing Yoon Sukyeol while serving as Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, he became a target throughout the Yoon administration and ultimately ended up in prison."

Kang further argued, "If he had not entered politics, if he had not called for prosecutorial reform, if he had not opposed Yoon Sukyeol, he would not have faced such circumstances. In some ways, this mirrors the targeted investigations by political prosecutors that President Lee Jaemyung experienced." He added, "We clearly owe former lawmaker Cho Kuk to some extent for the end of the Yoon Sukyeol administration and the birth of the Lee Jaemyung government. Having called for reform and criticized the dictator under a harsh political prosecution regime, he has ample grounds to be pardoned."

He went on to say, "Yoon Sukyeol and Kim Keonhee were brought down by the people, and the world has changed. Now is the time to restore normalcy. He and his family have already paid a severe price for their alleged crimes."

It was also reported that National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik visited former leader Cho Kuk on the 9th. As the second in the national protocol order, the Speaker's personal visit to meet an inmate in prison drew attention. However, Speaker Woo's office explained that it was a visit made from a human perspective. Given that former leader Cho Kuk once served as the head of Speaker Woo's supporters' association and that the two worked together on the party's Innovation Committee in 2014, it appears to have been a personal meeting.

The Ministry of Justice has begun the process of selecting and reviewing candidates for the Liberation Day special pardon. Minister of Justice Jung Sungho, during his confirmation hearing as a nominee, stated, "I believe the sentences imposed on former leader Cho Kuk's entire family may have been excessive compared to the actual convictions," and added, "Such factors should be fully considered."

However, presidential spokesperson Kang Yujeong stated on the 27th, "The power of pardon is an exclusive authority of the president," and clarified, "There have been no discussions or meetings on the matter at the detailed level."