Park proposes ‘pardon for people’s unity on 70th Liberation Day’

Park proposes ‘pardon for people’s unity on 70th Liberation Day’. July. 14, 2015 07:29. egija@donga.com.

“In order to remember the meaning of the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation and to achieve grand unity of the people, the government needs to give pardon,” President Park Geun-hye said on Monday. She instructed her administration to “review the scope and subjects of pardon to be given on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation.” She made the remarks at a meeting of senior presidential secretaries at the presidential office.

In the wake of Park’s remarks on "special pardon on Korea’s Liberation Day that falls on August 15," attention is focusing on whether pardon will be bestowed to entrepreneurs including owners of conglomerates. The business community has been demanding the government accord pardon or conditional release to SK Chairman Chey Tae-won, who has served in prison for two years and six months, and LIG Nex1 Vice Chairman Koo Bon-sang. Attention is focusing on whether Park will shift the direction of her state administration into one of unity and thus seek to recover the ruling party-presidential office ties at the half-way point of her term (August 25) in office.

Park has repeatedly expressed her objection to pardoning entrepreneurs thus far. However, analysts say that Park has displayed her commitment to use "pardon of entrepreneurs" as leverage to help revitalize the economy, by resolving the business community’s cherished wish in consideration of difficult economic situation in recent years. She apparently judged that "revitalizing the economy" is more urgent than "following her own belief."

Since she is trumpeting "national development" and "grand unity of the people" as the criteria for pardon, analysts say that she might also be considering "political amnesty" for people of the former Lee Myung-bak and Roh Moo-hyun administrations. People who are mentioned as candidates for review for pardon include former National Assembly Vice Speaker Lee Sang-deuk (former President Lee Myung-bak’s elder brother), and former Knowledge Economy Vice Minister Park Young-joon, and former Gangwon Governor Lee Gwang-jae.

However, majority’s view is that final choice will be dependent upon "public opinion." During the Sung Wan-jong fiasco in April, President Park stressed, “Pardon of entrepreneurs requires justifiable public consensus.’ Watchers say that Park’s remarks on Monday could also be meant to test response in public opinion. Since her inauguration, Park has only given pardon once. She accorded special pardon to 5,925 people including those who were convicted of criminal cases for their livelihoods and exemplary inmates in January last year, but excluded politicians and entrepreneurs who were involved in corruptions.

After awarding the certificate of appointment to the new presidential secretary for political affairs Hyun Ki-hwan on the day, President Park said, “The basic rule that you will have to follow in leading party-presidential office relations or relations with the National Assembly is to look at the people, and focus entirely on the people,” adding, “It is important to solve issues in a honest and sincere fashion, by overcoming personal interest or partisan interests." She thus urged not only Hyun but also the incoming floor leadership of the ruling Saenuri Party that will be newly formed on Tuesday to resolve aftereffect of dispute over ex-floor leader Yoo Seung-min’s departure early on.’