Civil Society Groups "Oppose Park Geun-hye Special Pardon... Betrayal of the People's Candlelight"

"Inciting Discord... Causing Massive Social Waste"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Civic groups are continuously criticizing the special pardon of former President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a sentence related to the state corruption scandal.

On the afternoon of the 27th, civic groups including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the Civic Solidarity Conference, and People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy held a press conference in front of the Blue House fountain, urging the withdrawal of the pardon, stating, "The special pardon for former President Park is nothing but a betrayal of the candlelight protests that aimed to restore justice and democracy."

Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the KCTU, emphasized, "President Moon’s arbitrary pardon of former President Park, who was ousted by the people through candlelight protests, is a challenge to Korean democracy," adding, "President Moon will be remembered in history as a criminal who deceived democracy and reversed the wheels of history moving in the right direction."

Additionally, the groups pointed out, "President Moon’s mention of 'national unity' without any communication with the candlelight citizens is illogical and a reversal of cause and effect," and warned, "The special pardon could ignite discord and cause enormous social waste."

The statement opposing the pardon of former President Park includes the names of 1,005 organizations from civic society, labor groups, and political parties such as the Green Party, the Labor Party, and the Justice Party, as well as families of the Sewol ferry disaster victims.

Earlier that morning, the 4.16 Sewol Families Association (Family Association), 4.16 Coalition, and the Minbyun Sewol Disaster Task Force also held a press conference in front of the Blue House fountain, condemning, "In a situation where the truth has not been properly uncovered and those responsible punished regarding the absence of a control tower and the Blue House’s dereliction of duty on the day of the Sewol ferry disaster, the pardon of Park Geun-hye is outrageous."

Kim Jong-gi, an executive committee member of the Family Association, criticized, "President Moon worries about the health of former President Park alone, but does he not care about the mental suffering of the 17 million people who held candles in the freezing cold? Do not betray the people who created the candlelight government, and do not kill the bereaved families who lost their children in the Sewol disaster twice with Park Geun-hye’s pardon."

The groups argued, "No responsibility has been revealed or punishment carried out for why the people were not saved during the Sewol ferry disaster," and "Granting a special pardon to someone who does not reflect on their actions is a regression of democracy and destruction of the spirit of the times."

After the press conference, they delivered a letter of protest to the Blue House.

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