In Gwangju, Lee Nak-yeon Apologizes for 'Pardon Theory'... "Failed to Understand the Spirit of the Candlelight"

41st Anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement Marked in Gwangju with 'Gwangju Vision' Announcement
Former President Pardon Debate Raised from the Perspective of "Need to Ease Conflicts... Fails to Reflect Candlelight Spirit" Apology
Proposal for 'Constitutional Amendment' to Strengthen Citizens' Fundamental Rights

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Gwangju ahead of the 41st anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising to officially apologize for mentioning the pardon of former presidents and proposed a constitutional amendment to strengthen citizens' fundamental rights and reduce inequality.

On the 16th at 11 a.m., Lee held a press conference at the Democratic Party Gwangju City Party Office in Seo-gu, Gwangju, where he announced the "Gwangju Plan" containing these points. At this event, Lee officially apologized for raising the issue of pardoning former presidents earlier this year.

Photo by Office of Representative Lee Nak-yeon

Lee confessed, "I deeply apologize for failing to meet the expectations of the people, including those in Gwangju and Jeonnam," as he brought up the pardon issue.

He stated, "I mentioned it as one of the measures to ease conflicts among the people for South Korea to move forward into the future. However, I did not fully consider the will of the people and the spirit of the candlelight protests. I apologize for that mistake."

He added, "Since then, I have continued painful reflection and have learned a lot. I will make sure not to neglect understanding the will of the people going forward."

Earlier this year, Lee faced public backlash after mentioning the necessity of pardoning former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. Subsequently, as a leading candidate for the next presidential election within the ruling party, his approval ratings declined, causing him to fall behind in the race.

On this day, Lee also emphasized the need for constitutional amendment.

Lee said, "After seven years of waiting following May 18, we institutionalized political democracy through direct presidential elections. Now, it is time to embark on a constitutional amendment to institutionalize socio-economic democracy. From Gwangju, the sacred place of democracy, I propose a constitutional amendment to the people for 'democracy that protects my life.'"

He explained, "The constitutional amendment for socio-economic democracy centers on strengthening citizens' fundamental rights and alleviating inequality. Strengthening fundamental rights means ensuring that my life receives stronger and more detailed protection from the state, and alleviating inequality means transforming the winner-takes-all structure into one of coexistence and cooperation. Strengthening state responsibility for this should be the core of the constitutional amendment." He added, "I propose that this constitutional amendment be pledged by each candidate during the presidential election process and be immediately pursued with the start of the next president’s term."

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