Woo Jaejun, a member of the National Assembly from Daegu Buk-gu Gap representing the People Power Party, announced on the 19th that he has sponsored a partial amendment to the Amnesty Act, also known as the "Lee Hwayoung Amnesty Prevention Act," which aims to exclude individuals who are accomplices of the president from being eligible for amnesty.
The right of amnesty is a power granted to the president under the Constitution and has traditionally been used as a means for "national unity." However, controversy over the abuse of this power erupted after the first special pardon list under the Lee Jaemyung administration included Cho Kuk, who was involved in an admissions scandal, and Yoon Mihyang, who was convicted of embezzling donations intended for comfort women.
Woo Jaejun, a member of the National Assembly running for the Youth Supreme Council Member candidate of the People Power Party, is giving a speech.
The opposition party strongly criticized the amnesty granted by the Lee Jaemyung administration, calling it the worst political amnesty, and various public opinion polls also cited "special pardons" as the number one reason for negative evaluations of President Lee's job performance.
Meanwhile, Lee Hwayoung, the former vice governor who was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison for illegal remittances to North Korea, is also appealing for support for a petition requesting amnesty and reinstatement through Facebook, raising concerns about a potential second round of political amnesty controversy.
The Supreme Court recognized all charges against former Vice Governor Lee Hwayoung, including the illegal remittance to North Korea, bribery, and the payment of travel expenses for then-Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jaemyung's visit to North Korea. President Lee was also indicted last June on charges of conspiring with Lee Hwayoung in the illegal remittance case and is currently standing trial in a separate case.
In this situation, there are concerns that if Lee Hwayoung is granted amnesty, it could inevitably affect President Lee Jaemyung's ongoing trial.
The partial amendment to the Amnesty Act proposed by Woo Jaejun stipulates that individuals who are accomplices of the president are to be excluded from special amnesty, commutation, or reinstatement. The purpose is to prevent the abuse of the amnesty power, which is a representative authority of an imperial presidency, and to block amnesties that violate the principles of the rule of law and the separation of powers.
Woo Jaejun emphasized, "This Liberation Day special amnesty cannot avoid criticism as a reward or political amnesty," and added, "The perception that those with money and power can be pardoned for their crimes will ultimately lead to a sense of deprivation among the public and youth."
He also stated, "During the last confirmation hearing for the Constitutional Court Chief Justice, candidate Kim Sanghwan also acknowledged that exercising the amnesty power for those who are accomplices of the president is universally wrong," and added, "If President Lee Jaemyung attempts to grant amnesty to his accomplices or create favorable conditions for his own trial, I will fight to the end to prevent it."
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