Opposition: "Worst Political Amnesty for Jo Guk Loyalists"
Presidential Office: "More Opposition Figures Pardoned Than Ruling Party Members"
Ahn Cheolsoo, a lawmaker running for the leadership of the People Power Party, delivered strong criticism regarding the Liberation Day special pardon issued by the Lee Jaemyung administration.
On August 11, Ahn stated on his Facebook page, "(President Lee Jaemyung) has betrayed the people and disguised those who have disrupted the national order as patriots, releasing them into society on August 15 Liberation Day, a day when Korea rose as a free and independent nation from colonial rule."
He continued, "The Liberation Day pardon has been carried out after all. Cho Kuk, Jung Kyungshim, Yoon Mihyang, Choi Kangwook, Cho Heeyeon, Eun Sumi, Kim Eunkyung, Shin Misook?this group, consisting of those involved in college admissions corruption, shameless offenders, bribery convicts, and those implicated in power-related corruption, looks as if a prison transport vehicle full of criminals has been gathered together," adding, "The president has wrapped these individuals in the packaging of national unity and livelihood recovery, bestowing presidential favors upon them."
Ahn further stated, "You are a spy and a traitor president, planted in Korea by the pro-Lee Jaemyung faction. If the Japanese colonial governors had witnessed this, they would have been impressed, saying that President Lee Jaemyung is playing the greatest role in destroying Korea's national fortunes."
Opposition: "Worst Political Pardon for Cho Kuk's Inner Circle... A Reward for Regime Change"
Song Unseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, strongly criticized President Lee Jaemyung's first Liberation Day special pardon since taking office on August 11, calling it "a total pardon for Cho Kuk's inner circle and the worst political pardon."
People Power Party's Song Unseok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman and Floor Leader, is speaking in front of the press on the 11th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the announcement of the Liberation Day special pardon for former leader Cho Guk of the Cho Guk Innovation Party. Photo by Yonhap News
Chairman Song, speaking to reporters at the National Assembly that day, said, "President Lee Jaemyung has abused his pardon authority, threatening to undermine the entire judicial order." He added, "Former leader Cho Kuk and former lawmaker Yoon Mihyang were pardoned without even serving half of their sentences. If this is the case, it's hard to understand why we conduct investigations and trials at all."
He pointed out that the pardon list included Jung Kyungshim, who committed admissions fraud with former leader Cho Kuk; Choi Kangwook, who assisted in the admissions fraud; and Baek Unwoo, who covered up Blue House inspections. Song criticized the move as "an exercise of pardon powers as a reward for regime change." Regarding the pardon of former lawmaker Yoon Mihyang, he said, "She committed a heinous crime by exploiting the tears of the comfort women for her personal gain. Pardoning such a person is an emotional affront to the people."
Presidential Office: "More Opposition Figures Pardoned Than Ruling Party Figures"
However, the Presidential Office stated its position on the political pardons, including that of former Cho Guk Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk, by saying, "There are far more people from the opposition than from the ruling party."
Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, is briefing on the president's instructions related to industrial accidents at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 9th. Photo by Yonhap News
Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, held a briefing on the Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, that afternoon. Regarding the pardon of former leader Cho Kuk, she stated, "He is not a close associate of President Lee Jaemyung. Rather, he is one of the individuals for whom there were many calls for pardon from a wide range of people in politics, religion, and other sectors."
Regarding the divided public opinion on the pardon of former leader Cho Kuk, Kang explained, "It was the result of much deliberation amid intense and diverse social demands," adding, "This pardon reflects President Lee Jaemyung's intention to move beyond deep divisions and conflicts, to open the door for dialogue, and to become a president who pursues grand national unity."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
