Mass Pardon of Conservative and Progressive Politicians... Yoon Emphasizes 'National Unity'

Conservatives Call for Pardons of Former Deputy Prime Ministers MB, Kim Ki-chun, and Choi Kyung-hwan
Progressives Include Kim Kyung-soo, Former Political Secretary Jeon Byeong-heon, and Former Lawmaker Shin Gye-ryun
Yoon: "Hope This Becomes an Opportunity to Unite National Power"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his second pardon power since taking office on the 27th. While the last Liberation Day special pardon focused on economic revitalization by pardoning business figures such as Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, this time he exercised the pardon power for conservative and progressive politicians, emphasizing 'national grand unity.'

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon presided over a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office and approved the 'Special Pardon, Special Commutation, and Special Restoration of Rights' which included mass pardons for politicians and election offenders whose sentences were finalized by the Supreme Court. The pardoned individuals will be pardoned as of midnight on the 28th.

Among conservative politicians, former President Lee Myung-bak was pardoned and had his rights restored. Former President Lee was sentenced to 17 years in prison by the Supreme Court in October 2020 for charges including embezzlement and bribery, and his sentence is currently suspended due to health reasons. Once the pardon is confirmed, the remaining approximately 15 years of his sentence will be waived.

Kim Ki-chun, former Chief of Staff to President Park Geun-hye, who was sentenced to one year in prison for 'white list (abuse of authority and obstruction of rights)' by supporting conservative groups through the Federation of Korean Industries, also had his rights restored. In addition, former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, former National Intelligence Service (NIS) directors Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-gi, Lee Byung-ho, and former NIS Director Won Sei-hoon from the Lee Myung-bak administration were included in the pardon and rights restoration list.

On the progressive side, Kim Kyung-soo, the so-called 'pro-Moon Jae-in faction' and former Governor of Gyeongnam Province, received a pardon without restoration of rights. Kim was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court last July for his involvement in the 'Druking comment manipulation case' (obstruction of business, etc.) and is currently serving his sentence, with his term set to expire in May next year. Since only the remaining sentence is waived, his eligibility to run for office will be restricted until May 2028.

Earlier, Kim had recently denied the charges and expressed his refusal to accept the pardon, stating it was a 'pardon arranged merely to complement the pardon of former President Lee.' However, President Yoon reportedly accepted the Ministry of Justice's proposal including Kim as part of the integration effort.

Jeon Byung-heon, former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, who was sentenced to a suspended prison term for receiving bribes from large home shopping companies during his tenure as honorary chairman of the Korea e-Sports Association, had his sentence nullified and rights restored. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Gye-ryun and former Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae also had their rights restored.

The Presidential Office and the government expect this pardon to act as a catalyst for healing the divided public sentiment between progressives and conservatives. National unity is necessary to overcome the economic crisis and successfully implement reforms.

President Yoon's use of expressions related to the purpose of the pardon and national strength, rather than the usual terms such as people, public sentiment, and grand unity used by past administrations as justification for pardons, is interpreted as reflecting this intention.

In his opening remarks on the day, President Yoon explained the purpose of the pardon, saying, "We carefully decided the targets and scope of the pardon by gathering opinions from various sectors," and added, "I hope this pardon will serve as an opportunity to unite our national strength as one."

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