Rejection of Kim Kyung-soo's Pardon... Presidential Office Expresses Displeasure, Calling It "Excessively Political"

-President's Office Shows Discomfort at Former Governor Kim's Statement 'Possibility of Variable' "Excessive Political Interpretation"
-Criticism of Ruling Party Bias... Political Circles Closely Watch Special Pardon Announcement's Impact on Government Approval Ratings and Opposition Movements

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol will finalize the list of year-end special pardons on the 27th. This pardon, the second since President Yoon took office, includes a large number of politicians. While it is known that President Yoon will approve the Ministry of Justice’s pardon review committee’s recommendations as originally proposed, an uncomfortable atmosphere persists within the presidential office regarding the refusal to pardon former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo.

According to the presidential office on the 26th, President Yoon will approve the New Year special pardon plan at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow morning. The list of pardon candidates reviewed by the Ministry of Justice’s pardon review committee on the 23rd included former President Lee Myung-bak and former Governor Kim. Unlike the Liberation Day special pardon in August, which focused on economic revitalization and recovery of the people’s economy, the New Year special pardon was considered mainly for politicians in the interest of national unity. Once the pardon plan is approved at the Cabinet meeting, the pardons will be executed on the 28th.

The pardon and reinstatement of former President Lee Myung-bak are virtually confirmed. A presidential office official stated, “Considering that President Yoon has publicly expressed the view that it is not appropriate to let him serve more than twenty years in prison by citing precedents, it is expected that the original plan will be processed immediately as is.”

The issue lies with former Governor Kim Kyung-soo. Kim has expressed that he does not want a pardon or parole, stating he will not be a “sidekick” to the MB pardon. Kim is currently serving a two-year prison sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court in July last year for the ‘Druking comment manipulation case.’ With his sentence set to expire in May next year, Kim will only be exempted from about five months of his remaining sentence, and his eligibility to run for office will be restricted until May 2028.

Although the presidential office says Kim’s “parole refusal letter” does not affect the president’s decision, it cannot hide its discomfort. The pardon is a decision made by the president for national unity, but it is being given excessive political significance. The opposition argues that excluding reinstatement from the pardon of politicians is no different from parole.

However, President Yoon is likely to approve the pardon review committee’s original plan as is. Although the pardon power is constitutionally defined as the president’s exclusive right, the pardon review committee’s deliberations are generally a procedural step to ensure the legitimacy of the president’s pardon, and most cases have been concluded as originally proposed. A senior presidential office official also said, “Since the candidates were discussed according to legal procedures, their personal intentions will not influence the president’s judgment.”

Nonetheless, there is interest in how President Yoon’s decision will affect year-end approval ratings. President Yoon’s approval rating rose slightly for two consecutive weeks, reaching 41.2%. According to a survey conducted by polling specialist Realmeter on behalf of Media Tribune from the 19th to the 23rd, targeting 2,518 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, 41.2% evaluated President Yoon’s performance positively, while 56.6% evaluated it negatively. Positive ratings increased by 0.1 percentage points from the previous week, continuing a two-week upward trend. Negative ratings decreased by 0.2 percentage points, marking the lowest level since the first week of July (57.0%).

A ruling party official said, “Although a pardon decision balancing the ruling and opposition parties will be made for national unity, the current ruling party figures have been punished more under the previous administration, so the simple proportion may appear skewed. Ultimately, the presidential office will have to closely monitor the political and public interpretations of tomorrow’s final announcement and the opposition’s future response.”

Meanwhile, Realmeter’s survey was conducted via automated response telephone (ARS) with 97% mobile and 3% landline calls. The response rate was 3.3%, and the sampling error was ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

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