Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, Pardoning Debate Again... What Are Your Thoughts?

Controversy Over New Year's Special Pardon
"Elderly with Deteriorating Health, National Unity" vs "No Pardon Without Offender's Remorse"
Ministry of Justice: "Pardon Is the President's Exclusive Authority"
Pardon Debate Also Emerged During Liberation Day Previously

Park Geun-hye, who is incarcerated at Seoul Detention Center, is entering Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of July 20th for hospitalization to treat a chronic illness. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the Ministry of Justice begins selecting candidates for the New Year's special pardon, the debate over pardoning former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, who are currently incarcerated, is reigniting. The opposition parties argue for pardons citing their health and national unity, while the ruling party opposes pardons, referring to public sentiment and other factors.

The Ministry of Justice held a plenary meeting of the Pardon Review Committee at 9:30 a.m. on the 20th to start the review and selection process for special pardon candidates. It is reported that the discussions mainly focused on livelihood-related and general criminal offenders during the meeting.

Political attention centered on whether Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye would be pardoned. Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, called for a suspension of sentence execution for the two former presidents due to their health conditions.

In a phone interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 20th, he said, "Among the legal requirements for suspension of sentence execution, there are several applicable criteria such as being over 70 years old and having health issues," adding, "Upon checking, both of them are not in good health."

He further explained, "Not for any other purpose but for national unity, the current presidential election is causing division among the people, and suspending their sentence execution could help reverse this atmosphere and steer the country back toward national unity."

On the same day, during his visit to Daegu, Ahn reiterated the call for suspension of sentence execution for the two former presidents. Regarding the significance of his Daegu visit, he said, "The core concept is national unity. The true spirit of the times lies in national unity, and I believe the first step can start with suspending the sentence execution of the two former presidents."

On the other hand, the ruling party opposes the pardons. Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated in an interview with Seoul Shinmun on the 20th, "It is premature as there has been no apology or acknowledgment of wrongdoing from them, and public opinion is not favorable."

Earlier, on the 2nd, during a Broadcast Journalists Club debate, when asked if he felt the need for pardoning former presidents, Lee responded, "It is premature to talk about pardons when there is no remorse, reflection, or apology to the public."

However, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, told reporters before the Pardon Review Committee meeting on the 20th, "This pardon will be of considerable scale," but added, "Pardoning is the president's exclusive authority. No details can be disclosed until the final announcement."

Lee Myung-bak, who was receiving treatment for underlying conditions during his incarceration at Seoul Eastern Detention Center, was discharged through the back door of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of February 10 after about 50 days of hospital treatment.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The pardon debate over the two former presidents had also surfaced during last year's Liberation Day. On August 8, Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook, "Last week, I met with government officials and requested suspension of sentence execution for the two former presidents and parole for Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics."

Former Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Choi Jae-hyung also visited the birthplace of former President Park Chung-hee in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, on August 6, saying, "It is truly heartbreaking to serve a prison sentence in this heat," and urged, "President Moon Jae-in should make a decisive pardon decision even today."

Regarding this, Minister Park Beom-gye said to reporters on the morning of August 4, "From the practical minister's standpoint, it seems unlikely that pardons for the two former presidents will happen this time," adding, "If the president instructs, the Ministry of Justice will immediately follow the prescribed procedures, but I do not think that will happen."

Meanwhile, public opinion on pardoning the two former presidents appears evenly split. According to a survey conducted by Research & Research commissioned by Channel A from November 27 to 29, polling 1,008 voters nationwide, 39.2% supported pardons while 43.7% opposed them. The opposition is slightly higher within the margin of error.

The survey was conducted via landline and mobile phone interviews, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

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