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| People at Seoul Station watch TV coverage of the government’s decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, announced by Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, Friday. Yonhap |
Parties analyzing impact of amnesty on presidential election
By Jung Da-min
The Moon Jae-in government’s announcement, Friday, of a special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, has raised various speculation over the timing and reasons for the decision.
The President’s decision to pardon Park was rather unexpected, as the Ministry of Justice had taken a negative stance on the matter and reportedly said it had excluded her from a list of amnesty candidates during a two-day meeting by a review committee on Monday and Tuesday.
Announcing the government’s decision, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said the former president’s deteriorating health was the biggest factor in granting her amnesty. Since her arrest in March 2017, Park has been receiving treatment for shoulder and back pain. She is currently staying at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul’s Gangnam District and will be set free at midnight at the start of Dec. 31, according to the ministry.
After undergoing shoulder surgery at Samsung Medical Center in 2019, Park returned to the hospital three times this year ― in January, July and November. In addition, she reportedly received treatment for psychological anxiety. After being released, Park will stay at the hospital for a few more weeks to continue receiving treatment.
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| A placards supporting former President Park Geun-hye hang in front of Samsung Medical Center in Seoul’s Gangnam District, Friday, where she has been hospitalized since late November. Park will be set free from the hospital immediately at midnight on Dec. 31, according to the justice ministry. Yonhap |
Park has been in prison since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption and influence peddling. In 2018, she was found guilty of multiple counts, including abuse of power and bribery.
Observers are trying to figure out the reasoning behind Moon’s decision because it goes against his earlier pledge not to offer special pardons to those who commit crimes violating market principles, such as bribery, breach of duty and embezzlement.
Political watchers voiced mixed views on the timing and reasoning behind Moon’s decision to pardon Park, with some saying it was made in consideration of public sentiment toward the 69-year-old politician, while others claim it was aimed at helping the ruling liberal bloc win the next presidential election slated for March 9.
Political commentator Park Sang-byoung said Moon appears to have pardoned Park and exonerated Han Myeong-sook, former prime minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration who was convicted of bribery and served her full prison sentence from 2015 to 2017, as major political tasks to finish before his presidential term ends in May next year. The government said it will also exonerate Han on Friday.
“Former President Park was in prison during Moon’s five-year term and Moon could have been under political pressure to pardon her for the sake of national unity,” the commentator said. The former president was in prison for four years and nine months after her arrest in March 2017.
“Also, by announcing the pardon of Park and the exoneration of Han together, he could seek a political balance… Besides, his popularity in the last months of his presidency is not too bad, based on recent opinion polls where his support rate recorded around 40 percent, which is higher than those of former presidents in the final months of their presidencies. His decision to pardon Park seems to be based on a sense of confidence that he would not lose public support for the decision.”
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| Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee speaks during a press briefing on President Moon Jae-in’s decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Friday. She said that there were no political motives behind Moon’s decision to pardon former President Park, as it was done entirely for national unity and in consideration of Park’s health condition. Yonhap |
But another political commentator, Lee Jong-hoon, said pardoning the former leader was precisely aimed at helping the ruling liberal bloc win the next presidential election, while also causing internal strife among members of the conservative bloc, as Moon excluded former President Lee Myung-bak, who is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for embezzlement and bribery.
“While many of the aides to Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), are supporters of former President Lee, many other PPP members are supporters of former President Park. Yoon led the investigation into Park’s corruption scandal as a member of the special prosecutor team led by Park Young-soo. If Park supporters strengthen their status on the occasion of her amnesty, conflicts are expected to erupt between them and other party members,” Lee said.
“The case of former President Lee is different as many members of the liberal bloc, including Moon himself, believe Lee is responsible for the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun.”
Roh died in May 2009 after leaping off a cliff, while he had been under criminal investigation for corruption.
However, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said during a press briefing that there were no political motives behind Moon’s pardon of his predecessor, as it was done entirely for national unity and was made in consideration of Park’s health condition.
“Considering the fact that Park’s health deteriorated significantly after serving a five-year sentence, I hope that the amnesty will go beyond differences of opinion and pros and cons, while serving as an opportunity to start a new era of unity and harmony,” the spokeswoman said.
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| Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), holds a press conference on President Moon Jae-in’s decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, at the PPP’s headquarters in Yeouido, Friday. Yoon said he welcomed Moon’s decision, but did not comment on bringing Park back into the party. Joint Press Corps |
The rival candidates of the country’s two major parties, Yoon of the PPP and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, voiced contrasting reactions.
Yoon told reporters at the party’s headquarters that he welcomes the decision to pardon Park and hopes she gets well. But he did not say whether he would welcome her back to the party.
Lee was cited by his spokesman, Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, as saying that he understands Moon’s anguish for national unity and respects his difficult decision. But Lee, who had been opposed to pardoning Park, said she should sincerely apologize to the victims of the corruption offenses she committed.
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| Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), answers questions related to President Moon Jae-in’s decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, at the DPK’s headquarters in Yeouido, Friday, after presenting his policy promises for the country’s defense sector. Lee said he respects Moon’s decision, but stressed that Park still has to make sincere apologies to victims of her corruption offenses. Joint Press Corps |
Special pardon for ex-president fuels speculation
Source: Buhay Kapa PH
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