'Queen of Elections' Park Geun-hye Pardon... Who Will Smile, Yoon Seok-yeol or Lee Jae-myung? [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Yoon Seok-yeol "Late but welcome... Hope for a speedy recovery"
Lee Jae-myung "Park Geun-hye's pardon, an unavoidable part for national unity"
Hong Joon-pyo "Opposition's tactic to split presidential frontlines is truly astonishing" Criticizes Moon

Former President Park Geun-hye. [Source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Former President Park Geun-hye, who was serving a 22-year prison sentence for the state corruption scandal, became the subject of political attention after being granted a special pardon and reinstatement on the 24th. The pardon procedure for Park will be carried out by the Ministry of Justice correctional staff withdrawing from the hospital, and she will be released at midnight on the 31st.

Presidential candidates from both ruling and opposition parties cannot help but focus on Park's political moves, as she enjoys strong support among conservative voters. Immediately, the People Power Party's approval ratings could fluctuate depending on the so-called 'Park Geun-hye message' she delivers in official settings.

Given that the party produced a former president who was impeached and forced to step down while in office, if Park makes remarks related to the 'river of impeachment' or 'responsibility for impeachment,' the People Power Party, ahead of the presidential election, could be caught in a whirlpool of factional conflicts. There are concerns that old factional disputes, rather than a united team centered on candidate Yoon Seok-youl, could resurface.

Conversely, if she delivers a message advocating 'regime change,' it could not only strengthen team unity but also quickly shift the political landscape in favor of the opposition. For candidate Yoon, it would also be an opportunity to escape the 'responsibility for Park Geun-hye's imprisonment.' Although it may be burdensome for Yoon, who led the investigation into Park's 'state corruption' during his prosecutor days, to have his bad relationship with Park highlighted again, a single message from Park could help consolidate votes in traditional conservative strongholds such as Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK). This is why both ruling and opposition parties are focusing their attention on Park's message.

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and the Policy Coordination Headquarters held a press conference on the morning of the 26th at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, regarding the "Common Sense Restoration Pledge - Virtuous Cycle of Growth and Welfare."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding this, candidate Yoon expressed on the 24th that he "welcomes it, albeit belatedly," referring to Park's special pardon after 4 years and 9 months. At the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Yoon told reporters, "I have heard a lot that former President Park's health was not good, and I hope she recovers her health quickly."

About his refusal to grant a suspension of sentence to Park during his tenure as Seoul Central District Prosecutor General, Yoon said, "It was not me who refused, but the Suspension of Sentence Committee experts judged that the reasons for suspension were not met," adding, "The prosecutor general must follow the committee's decision." Regarding Park's reinstatement to the party, he said, "Isn't recovering her health first the priority?"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate, emphasized that the presidential pardon power is a highly political act and stressed that Park's pardon was an unavoidable part of national unity. Park's closest aide, lawyer Yoo Young-ha, was reserved when asked sensitive questions about her health status or future political activities, saying, "I cannot comment on that at this time."

Park Geun-hye, then Saenuri Party presidential candidate, was attacked with a razor during a campaign rally in Sinchon during the 2006 local elections. After undergoing surgery, she resumed her election campaign. [Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ After a razor blade attack and asking "What about Daejeon?" ? the unstoppable 'Queen of Elections' trajectory

The life of 'politician Park Geun-hye' has been truly tumultuous. Park joined the party in 1997 at the request of Lee Hoi-chang, the Grand National Party's presidential candidate. Although Lee lost, Park officially began her political career by winning a by-election for the National Assembly in Daegu Dalseong the following year.

She stated, "Facing the IMF crisis, I decided to pursue a political path due to the fear that what the previous generation had achieved could be wiped out," and began to receive enthusiastic support from conservative voters in Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

The nickname 'Queen of Elections' was earned during the 2002 Grand National Party 'cash politics' scandal and the backlash from the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun, when she led the party's revival using a 'tent party headquarters' as a foothold.

At the time when Park Geun-hye, then Saenuri Party presidential candidate, faced a backlash from impeachment during her tenure as party leader in 2004, she removed the Hannara Party sign and moved to a tent office. [Image source=Yonhap News]

At that time, immediately after being elected party leader, Park sold the party headquarters in front of the National Assembly and set up a tent on a vacant lot in Yeouido. Although some mocked it as a 'political show,' the party revived from struggling to secure even 50 seats to winning 121 seats in the general election. Notably, during the 2006 local elections, despite being attacked with a razor blade, she famously asked, "What about Daejeon?" first checking the election situation.

Later, after the Grand National Party lost the Seoul mayoral by-election in 2011, she returned as the party's emergency committee chair and led the party to victory in the general election the following year. She was then selected as the party's presidential candidate and renamed the party to Saenuri Party to differentiate it from the previous Lee Myung-bak administration.

Her political career was truly fast-paced, and in the December 2012 presidential election, she won with 51.7% of the vote, defeating Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party, becoming South Korea's first female president.

However, in July 2016, the Choi Seo-won state corruption scandal emerged, shaking her support base, and in October of the same year, candlelight protests demanding the president's resignation took place repeatedly in downtown areas such as Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Ultimately, in December, the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion, and public sentiment could not be reversed. Then, on March 10, 2017, at 11 a.m., the Constitutional Court held the impeachment trial and unanimously decided to remove former President Park Geun-hye from office.

◆ Hong Joon-pyo: "It is not right to drag Park into politics anymore"

Amid political interest in the 'Park Geun-hye message,' there are also opposing views against bringing the former president back into politics in any form.

On the 25th, People Power Party lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo said on the online youth communication platform 'Youth Dream' Q&A corner that regarding Park's possible political comeback, "It is not right to drag her into the political arena anymore."

Earlier, Hong posted on his Facebook about Park's pardon, describing it as 'a lament for the belated time (Mansijitan).' He said, "Park, who was impeached through political investigation, was imprisoned throughout her term, and former President Roh Moo-hyun was investigated in retaliation, and former President Lee was also imprisoned through political investigation," interpreting, "It seems they were scared as President Moon Jae-in's term was ending."

He added, "This time, pardoning two former presidents separately to incite division in the opposition camp is truly a cunning trick," and criticized, "Using a divide-and-conquer strategy to select the opposition candidate and another divide-and-conquer tactic to split the opposition presidential front is astonishing." He concluded, "It is regrettable that we are playing into this."

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate, is answering reporters' questions related to the pardon of former President Park Geun-hye after finishing the announcement of the "Smart Strong Army, Selective Conscription Policy" at the Democratic Party Central Office in Yeouido, Seoul on the 24th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ Lee Jae-myung: "Perhaps the president thought he would bear the burden of conflict alone"

Meanwhile, Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung appeared on KBS's 'Sunday Diagnosis Live' on the morning of the 6th and said about Park's pardon decision, "If necessary for national unity, it is an unavoidable case." He added, "I think the president must have considered Park's health a lot."

When asked if he learned about Park's pardon on the day (the 24th) morning, he replied, "Until the broadcast, I only saw newspaper headlines. I also saw news saying 'this time it won't happen,' so I didn't think about it," adding, "It is such a sensitive situation, and since I held an opposing stance on the pardon, I think the president thought he would bear the backlash and conflict alone."

Regarding his stance of 'understanding the president's anguish for national unity' after the pardon, he said, "We also put a lot of thought into drafting that statement," and added, "My basic position is that the higher the status, the greater the responsibility."

He continued, "If you have high status, wealth, and power, you get lighter punishment or sometimes none at all; normalizing this is a task of the times and fairness. I think it is right not to pardon former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak."

Lee said, "Anyway, the president must have made the decision considering our opinions, the people's voice, historical responsibility, and the position of a national leader. In that state, we judged that commenting was inappropriate and said we understood the anguish." He added, "We are members of the Democratic Party government and should respect each other as we inherit important parts and form the 4th government. If we argue over a decision already made, it will hinder national unity."

When asked about the 'impact of the pardon on the presidential election,' he said, "I don't know. Phenomena always have both crisis and opportunity factors, with mixed pros and cons, so I can't judge whether the pardon will be overall advantageous or disadvantageous." He emphasized, "What's the use of judging? It has already happened. We don't regret or try to reverse what has happened because it's impossible. Instead, we find the good aspects, adjust the bad, and turn it into an opportunity."

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