Rising Calls for Lee Jae-yong's Pardon... Will President Moon Express a Progressive Stance?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Lee Ji-eun] Attention is focused on whether President Moon Jae-in will reveal a changed stance on the special pardon of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong at the meeting with the leaders of the five ruling and opposition parties scheduled for the 26th.

On that day, President Moon will invite the leaders of the five parties to the Blue House for a closed-door luncheon and meeting. While sharing the outcomes of the South Korea-U.S. summit is the main agenda, the recently emerging issue of Vice Chairman Lee’s pardon is also expected to be a topic of discussion.

The Blue House has so far maintained the position of "never having considered" the pardon proposal. However, on the 10th, at the 4th anniversary commemorative meeting, President Moon said, "I will listen to the public’s opinion and make a judgment," leaving the possibility open, and on the 25th, Lee Ho-seung, the Blue House Chief of Policy, stated, "There will be separate considerations," drawing attention to the possibility of a pardon decision.

There is also a possibility that party leaders will voice calls for the necessity of a pardon. Earlier, Kim Ki-hyun, the floor leader of the People Power Party and acting party leader, demanded the president’s decision, saying, "It is necessary to make a forward-looking judgment." The Democratic Party of Korea officially takes a cautious stance on the pardon discussion, but voices advocating for a pardon are growing within the party, including from lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae.

At the meeting held on the day President Moon invited the leaders of the five ruling and opposition parties to the Blue House for the first time in 678 days to share a luncheon, attendees included Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea; Kim Ki-hyun, acting leader of the People Power Party; Yeo Young-guk, leader of the Justice Party; Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party; and Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party.

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