Lee Nak-yeon, Backlash Over 'Pardon Theory' Reaffirmation...Some Say "He Stepped Up Knowing He'd Be Targeted"

Lee Steps Back from Internal and External Party Criticism
Yang Hyang-ja: "Must View from Public Common Sense"
Ahn Min-seok: "No Communication with Public and Party Members"
Trailing Lee Jae-myung in Presidential Approval Ratings

"Relieved President's Political Burden"
Self-Sacrifice Positively Evaluated by Some

[Asia Economy reporters Wondara and Jeon Jinyoung] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, took a step back amid criticism inside and outside the party regarding the pardon proposal for former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, but the controversy does not seem to be dying down easily. The debate over the appropriateness of the pardon was raised somewhat sharply within and outside the party through the weekend until the morning of the 4th. Lee, who is reluctant to let the controversy spread, refrained from mentioning the pardon on that day. Opinions ranged from viewing Lee’s raising of the pardon issue as a way to assert his presence to an analysis that it was a form of 'self-sacrifice' to secure the political position of the president who holds the pardon power.

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 4th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said at the party’s Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 4th, "Serious matters such as the pardon of two former presidents should be viewed from the perspective of common sense of the people," adding, "It is possible only when the discussion has matured enough for the public to agree." An Min-seok, a five-term senior Democratic Party lawmaker, also said in a CBS radio interview that morning, "I am taken aback by the pardon and reinstatement proposal raised without communication with the public and party members," and "I cannot agree with a blind pardon." He also expressed concern, saying, "It is a very unfavorable agenda for the Democratic Party ahead of the election. In elections, it is important to first unite the support base, and there is considerable opposition from party members regarding this pardon proposal. It looks like the core supporters are about to leave." Seol Hoon, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "There are minority opinions that say we should think about it at least once," but added, "However, the overwhelming majority are against the pardon. The Supreme Court ruling on former President Park is on the 14th, so it is not the right time to do it now."

On Lee’s SNS and the Democratic Party members’ bulletin board, criticism toward Lee is pouring in with comments such as "Step down from the leader position and then talk about the pardon," "If you mention the pardon now, you won’t even pass the party primary, not the president," "Don’t try to be indecisive," and "Let’s have a re-endorsement vote for Lee."

Meanwhile, the publicly released approval ratings for Lee as a presidential candidate fell outside the margin of error compared to Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung’s approval ratings. According to Realmeter’s survey commissioned by YTN, conducted on 1st and 2nd with 1,000 adult men and women nationwide, Lee Jae-myung recorded 20.3% as the second place, while Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon recorded 15% (95% confidence level with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points. For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website).

Some say Lee helped reduce the political burden on President Moon ahead of his New Year’s press conference. Park Sung-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said, "Once the sentence for former President Park is finalized, whether good or bad, the responsibility for the pardon decision will fall on President Moon Jae-in," adding, "I think Lee anticipated this process and stepped forward in a way to take some of the arrows himself."

Meanwhile, Lee did not mention the pardon issue he raised at the Supreme Council meeting that day. After the Supreme Council meeting the previous day, he told reporters, "I expressed my long-standing sincerity to the leadership that we must achieve national unity." Choi In-ho, the Democratic Party’s chief spokesperson, also said, "We understood Lee’s remarks as stemming from his sincerity for national unity. We agreed that public consensus and reflection by the parties involved are important, and we decided to respect the will of the people and party members going forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.