Sangmin Lee: "MB Pardon, an Unavoidable Step" Wooyoung Kim: "Traitor, Emergency Committee Must Oust"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Lee Sang-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, sparked a major controversy within the party on the 14th by stating that the issue of pardoning former President Lee Myung-bak is "a stage that naturally cannot be avoided."

Lee, a five-term senior lawmaker, appeared on a radio broadcast (BBS) that day and said, "Former President Park Geun-hye has already been pardoned. If the current president and the next president align their intentions, it would be a good outcome." Regarding the so-called 'Kim Boo-kyum Prime Minister retention theory' raised by some, he also said, "If possible, that option would be very good."

Lee stated, "President Moon has already expressed regret that former President Lee is elderly and has been imprisoned for a long time," adding, "Former President Park has already been pardoned, and the pardon of former President Lee is a stage that naturally cannot be avoided."

Critical voices against Lee's remarks are also growing. Kim Woo-young, former spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election committee, labeled Lee Sang-min as a 'traitor' and insisted that "he should be expelled."

Former spokesperson Kim said, "I thought of the first thing the Democratic Party's emergency committee should do," and added, "Expel Lee Sang-min, the small betrayer who appears whenever he is about to be forgotten and turns the gun backward to shoot repeatedly."

In an interview with a media outlet published the same day, Lee also criticized his party, saying, "They tried to portray the opposing candidate as a zombie or demon to devour him," and "People associate the Democratic Party with double standards, hypocrisy, arrogance, dogmatism, blind following, and cliquishness."

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