"Cho Kuk Has Not Even Served Half of His Sentence"
As it was reported that former President Moon Jaein requested a pardon and reinstatement for Cho Kuk, former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, from the presidential office, Yoon Intae, former Secretary General of the National Assembly, criticized the request as "an inappropriate remark."
On August 7, during an appearance on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show," Yoon Intae stated, "This is something that should be left to the discretion of the presidential office," expressing his view on the matter.
According to the presidential office and other sources the previous day, former President Moon Jaein delivered his opinion that Cho Kuk should be pardoned and reinstated to Woo Sangho, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, who visited Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, to deliver an invitation to the National Appointment Ceremony scheduled for August 15. Cho Kuk, who served as the first Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and Minister of Justice under the Moon Jaein administration, was sentenced to two years in prison for charges including college admissions fraud involving his children and has been incarcerated since December 2024.
Yoon Intae pointed out, "Even former President Moon did not pardon Kim Kyungsoo, former Governor of South Gyeongsang Province, before he left office," and added, "It is shameless, and the fact that such talk is even emerging is problematic." He further stated, "Even if former President Moon made the request simply because he met with the presidential office, they should have kept it confidential and protected him."
Yoon Intae also said that including Cho Kuk in the August 15 Liberation Day special pardon would be premature. He explained, "Cho Kuk has not even served half of his sentence, and President Lee Jaemyung has only been in office for barely two or three months," and added, "Cho Kuk is reportedly writing books and working out diligently in prison, so wouldn't it be better to consider a pardon at the end of the year, when people's hearts are warmer?"
Regarding Kim Keonhee, wife of former President Yoon Sukyeol, who appeared before the special prosecutor Min Jungki as a suspect and stated, "I sincerely apologize to the people for causing concern as someone as insignificant as myself," Yoon Intae criticized the remark as "cunning."
He commented, "It was probably a carefully prepared statement, but such an expression sounded quite unpleasant," and questioned, "How could she say she was insignificant? And how could someone insignificant commit such enormous acts?"
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