The People Power Party claimed that it opposes the special pardon of former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk as the first special pardon examination of the Lee Jae-myung government approaches. It also warned that the pardon for Cho could be a cause of division among the people and conflict between factions.
Chairperson Song Eon-seok of the People Power Party and floor leader noted during a floor countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 29th, "It seems that the ruling party has begun to prepare for the special pardon of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk," adding, "The People Power Party strongly opposes the pardon for former Minister Cho."
He continued, "The president's pardon power is a special authority granted to the president for national unity. Moreover, Liberation Day is a day when all the people celebrate and commemorate Korea's independence, regardless of ideology and factions," and added, "However, the pardon for Cho Kuk, a perpetrator of power-type crimes, is bound to cause division among the people and conflict between factions."
The Chairperson also stated, "Cho Kuk is neither a political scapegoat nor a public safety offender. He is a shameless perpetrator of power-type crimes, including entrance exam corruption, suppression of investigations, and violations of the prohibition of solicitation law," emphasizing that the exercise of pardon power for a criminal who disrupted Korea's entrance exam system and incapacitated public official investigation systems on the first Liberation Day of the president's term is an abuse of presidential power.
He further emphasized, "The pardon for Cho Kuk is a political invoice from the Rebuilding Korea Party, which did not run a candidate in the last presidential election. The pardon power should not become a means of political transactions or negotiations among pro-government political forces," adding, "The presidential pardon power should not become a tool for the ruling extension forces to share the spoils."
In particular, the People Power Party pointed out that the pardon for the former leader could serve as a signal for 'favoritism pardons' for those close to President Lee Jae-myung. He mentioned Lee Hwa-young, the former Gyeonggi Province Peace Deputy Governor, who was convicted in the North Korean remittance case, and Jung Jin-sang, the former head of the Democratic Party's Political Coordination Office, who was involved in the Daejang-dong incident.
The Chairperson remarked, "The next step after the pardon for former Minister Cho is a favoritism pardon for close aides such as Lee Hwa-young and Jung Jin-sang. The people are well aware of this," and insisted, "The People Power Party strongly argues that this Liberation Day special pardon should be thoroughly centered around public safety offenders."