"Opposing the Pardon of Park Geun-hye"… Over 30,000 Agree on Blue House Petition

Petitioner: "If Park Geun-hye is pardoned, it is a betrayal and insult to the people"

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A national petition opposing the special pardon of former President Park Geun-hye (69) has gained the support of more than 30,000 people.

On the 24th, a petition titled "Opposing the Pardon of Park Geun-hye" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. As of 8:30 a.m. on the 27th, just three days after it was posted, the petition had received about 36,700 signatures.

The petitioner criticized former President Park, saying she was a "criminal who forgot the duty of a president to comply with and uphold the Constitution, committing unprecedented crimes such as 'private influence peddling' and 'state affairs manipulation.'"

He added, "Park Geun-hye is the first president in the history of the Republic of Korea to be impeached," and "subsequently, various criminal facts were proven true, and she was sentenced to 22 years in prison, with a scheduled release in 2039."

He argued, "The impeachment of Park Geun-hye was a remarkable achievement of 21st-century democracy accomplished by the Korean people through candlelight protests," and "the Moon Jae-in administration was born as a 'candlelight government' that upheld those protests. If Park Geun-hye is pardoned without serving even half of her sentence, it would be a betrayal, an insult, and a deception to the people."

Furthermore, he added, "I am posting this petition to hear President Moon Jae-in's firm stance and to reaffirm the 'promise with the candlelight protests' once again."

Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board screen capture.

Earlier, the government announced that ahead of the New Year 2022, on the 31st, it granted special pardons, sentence reductions, and reinstatements to 3,094 people, including former President Park Geun-hye and former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, as well as general criminal offenders.

Former President Park was serving time at Seoul Detention Center after the Supreme Court confirmed a 20-year prison sentence, a fine of 18 billion KRW, and a confiscation of 3.5 billion KRW in January this year for the state affairs manipulation and National Intelligence Service special activity funds bribery cases. Separately, in late November 2018, she was first sentenced to two years in prison for interference in the Saenuri Party (now People Power Party) nomination process.

Her release comes about 4 years and 9 months after her arrest on March 31, 2017, related to the state affairs manipulation case. Without a pardon or parole, she was scheduled to be released in 2039. However, as her health deteriorated due to prolonged imprisonment, the government included her in the pardon list considering this.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that after her release, former President Park will stay in a hospital for some time to receive inpatient treatment.

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