The People Power Party urged President Lee Jae-myung to halt attempts at special pardons for former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk and former lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang. It also claimed that if special pardons were granted to Cho and Yoon on Liberation Day, the day would become a 'shameful venue.'

Song Eon-seok, the People Power Party emergency committee chairman and floor leader, speaks at the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 11th. /Courtesy of News1

Chairperson and floors leader Song Eon-seok of the People Power Party stated at an emergency committee meeting held in the National Assembly on the morning of the 11th, "I strongly urge again that attempts at pardoning former leader Cho and former lawmaker Yoon be immediately stopped."

Chairperson Song noted, "The Lee Jae-myung regime is making Liberation Day a day of division instead of unity, and a day of shame instead of a festival, by pardoning those who only stand by their own associates and hide their own people without any reflection." He added, "Pardoning shameless criminals for whom there is no accountability and granting them immunity from prosecution is a direct insult to the sacrifices made in the 80 years since Liberation."

He continued, "Former leader Cho is a power-based criminal with a confirmed conviction for entrance exam corruption and cover-ups. He has caused great deprivation among the youth." He emphasized, "Former lawmaker Yoon is a shameless person who embezzled donations intended for comfort women victims. He is still denouncing the judiciary, claiming the verdict is unjust, and even refusing the court's decision to return the embezzled funds."

Chairperson Song remarked, "Liberation Day is a national festival and a day of unity commemorating Korea's freedom and independence," adding, "The People Power Party opposes pardons for any corrupt politician."

President Lee will convene an emergency cabinet meeting on the afternoon of the 11th to deliberate and decide on the candidates for the special pardons and reinstatement for Liberation Day. The Ministry of Justice's Special Pardon Review Committee included former leader Cho, his wife former professor Jeong Kyung-shim, former lawmaker Yoon, former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, and former Seoul education chief Cho Hee-yeon in the list reported to the presidential office on the 7th.

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