"President Lee Corrects Ruthless Prosecutorial Power"
Special Pardon Granted to Over 830,000 Including Cho Kuk and Yoon Mihyang
Presidential Office: "Responding to the Call for National Unity"
Gominjung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed her gratitude to President Lee Jaemyung for correcting the wrongdoings of the "lawless prosecutorial power" in relation to the Liberation Day special pardon, which included Cho Kuk, former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, and former lawmakers Choi Kangwook and Yoon Mihyang.
On the 11th, Gominjung wrote on her Facebook, "I see so many welcome names. Just as the heat wave passes, another difficult period is coming to an end."
She continued, "While presidential pardons may appear to be a privilege, in reality, they are the culmination of the pain and agony that the president must bear," adding, "I will do my best to help lighten even a little of that burden. I believe that many others are feeling the same way."
On this day, the government announced that, ahead of Liberation Day, a special pardon would be granted on the 15th to 836,687 individuals, including former leader Cho. The pardons include 1,920 general criminal offenders, 27 politicians and key public officials, 16 businesspeople, and 184 union members, street vendors, and farmers.
The pardon list also includes Cho's wife, Jung Kyungshim, former Dongyang University professor; former lawmakers Choi Kangwook and Yoon Mihyang; and former Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education superintendent Cho Heeyeon. In addition, ruling party figures such as lawmaker Yoon Kunyoung, former Blue House civil affairs secretary Baek Wonwoo, and former environment minister Kim Eunkyung were also included.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yujeong stated during a briefing, "President Lee agreed with the Ministry of Justice's proposal for this pardon, which aims to meet the demands of the era for national unity and to revive the people's livelihoods and the economy." She added, "The core principle of this pardon is to ease the heightened social tension caused by the illegal emergency martial law and to revitalize the stagnant economy. For this 'livelihood recovery pardon,' President Lee has carefully listened to opinions from all sectors of society and has deliberated thoroughly."
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