[Chodong Yodan] Moon Jae-in, Who Expressed Will for 'National Unity,' Should Proceed by Granting 'MB Pardon'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] This election ended in an unprecedentedly close race. The winner and loser recorded the highest number of votes in history, with only a 0.7 percentage point difference. The disappearance of the centrist voters and the extreme polarization centered around the two major parties were also starkly revealed. Amid this, both progressive and conservative camps launched personal attacks against each other, turning the election into a 'mud-slinging contest.' Although the election is over, supporters on both sides continue to spread hatred online and in communities.

President Moon Jae-in mentioned the need for 'national unity' at the first senior secretaries and aides meeting held after the 20th presidential election, emphasizing the need to "heal and reconcile the divided public sentiment." This is likely the reason. President Moon stressed the urgency of unity by referring to "new threats and fierce challenges both domestically and internationally."

As President Moon pointed out, global tensions are rising. Factors that could shake the Korean Peninsula, sensitive to global affairs, are positioned everywhere, including the Ukraine crisis, the US-China strategic competition, North Korea's military strengthening, and armed provocations. These are issues that could significantly impact the nation's future with even a single misstep. In this situation, if national unity is not achieved, the severe internal divisions could potentially damage the country's power, reflecting President Moon's concerns.

National unity is one of the critical issues that President Moon and President-elect Yoon Seok-youl must discuss most importantly at their meeting on the 16th. It is hoped that sufficient discussion on national unity and harmony, regardless of left or right, will take place at this meeting. In particular, President-elect Yoon plans to request a pardon for former President Lee Myung-bak at this meeting. He has reportedly been considering this pardon request for a long time.

President Moon pardoned former President Park Geun-hye last December due to 'health deterioration,' but he ultimately did not pardon former President Lee. Although Lee was similarly elderly and had health issues like Park, their fates diverged. The opposition criticized this as 'divide and rule.'

Looking closely at the situation at the time, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye explained the reason for not pardoning former President Lee by saying, "The cases are different" and "It was considering public sentiment." This is widely interpreted as referring to the ruling party's sentiment that former President Roh Moo-hyun's death was a 'political retaliation' by former President Lee. Although pardons are inherently political decisions by the president, the 'half pardon' sparked numerous political interpretations.

Now is the time for President Moon to make a decisive decision. The tragic ends of former presidents are a painful part of our modern history. Many citizens remain divided and unable to unite partly because interpretations of these leaders' legacies differ. Leaders must demonstrate leadership to resolve these conflicts. If we remain mired only in the dark parts of modern history, progress toward the future will inevitably slow down.

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