청 "No Prior Consultation with Candidate on Park's Pardon"

The view of Cheongwadae from Namsan, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Regarding the pardon of former President Park Geun-hye, the Blue House stated that there was no prior consultation with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate.

Park Soo-hyun, the Blue House Chief of Public Communication, said on the afternoon of the 24th on KBS Radio's 'Choi Young-il's Current Affairs Headquarters,' "The pardon is a decision made by the President after considering various factors."

When asked whether there was prior consultation with candidate Lee's side, Park said, "I understand that each presidential candidate, including candidate Lee, has their own opinions on the pardon, but I would like to say that there was no separate prior consultation with the candidate."

Some in the opposition criticize pardoning former President Park but not former President Lee Myung-bak as a 'divide-and-conquer tactic' within the opposition. On the same day, Hong Joon-pyo, a People Power Party lawmaker, criticized on his Facebook, saying, "They are scheming to divide the opposition by pardoning the two former presidents separately."

In response, Park Soo-hyun said, "It is difficult to understand what is meant by 'divide-and-conquer within the opposition'. I hope this will serve as an opportunity in the current situation where we must boldly unite for the future."

Regarding the reason former President Lee was excluded from the pardon, Park explained, "In the case of former President Park, the detention period exceeds 4 years and 9 months as of the end of the year, whereas for former President Lee, although he is elderly, the detention period is about 780 days as of the end of the year."

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