President Lee Jae-myung's first pardon, the Liberation Day special pardon, includes former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, his wife Jeong Kyung-shim, a former professor at Tongyang University, and former lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang. Former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, who was implicated in Cho's entrance exam corruption allegations, will also be pardoned. Although there have been criticisms regarding the pardon subjects, it seems President Lee decided on the special pardon and restoration for these individuals due to strong demands from the ruling party.
On the afternoon of the 11th, President Lee chaired a Cabinet meeting in Yongsan, Seoul, where he deliberated and voted on agenda items related to special pardons, special commutations, special restorations, and special reductions of sentences. A Cabinet meeting regarding special pardons was scheduled to be held on the 12th, but the plans were adjusted to hold an emergency meeting a day earlier.
The final decision for the Liberation Day special pardon and restoration subjects included former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, his wife Jeong Kyung-shim, former lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang, and former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook. Among these, the most criticized figures from the opposition were Cho and Yoon. Cho was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court in December of last year for his involvement in his children's admission scandal and for covering up a Blue House investigation. Yoon received a sentence of one year and six months, with a three-year suspended sentence, in November of last year due to a case of embezzlement of funds intended for comfort women victims.
Since this is President Lee's first special pardon after taking office, he reportedly deliberated on whether to include politicians. Including politicians in a pardon requires public consensus, so it is rare for a president's first pardon to involve political figures. Former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak each carried out political pardons during their third year in office in 2006 and 2010, respectively. Former President Park Geun-hye targeted mostly businesspeople and livelihood offenders in the three special pardons she implemented during her term.
Public opinion regarding the special pardon for Cho was polarized. A survey conducted by JoWon CNI, commissioned by Straight News, found that among 2,002 respondents aged 18 and over nationwide from the 19th to 21st of last month, support for Cho's pardon was 48% while opposition was 47.6%, nearly a tie. The survey was conducted using a wireless random digit dialing method with an automated response system. The response rate was 3.7%, and the margin of error is ±2.2 percentage points (p) at a 95% confidence level. For more detailed information, please refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
However, the strong demand for a special pardon for Cho from figures in the ruling party, including former President Moon Jae-in, has had an impact. It is said that former President Moon requested Cho's pardon when he met with Lee's Chief of Staff for Political Affairs, Woo Sang-ho, on the 5th. Members of the Democratic Party, including Kang Deok-gu, Ko Min-jung, Shin Jeong-hoon, and Han Byeong-do, also came forth to support the move. The inclusion of pro-Moon lawmakers such as Yoon Geon-young and former Chief Policy Secretary Baek Won-woo and former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyeong among the pardon subjects also indicated the influence of the pro-Moon faction.
An important aspect of political pardons is 'balance.' Granting special pardons to only one faction's politicians could exacerbate national divisions. Former lawmakers Jeong Chan-min, Hong Mun-jong, and Sim Hak-bong, who were proposed by the opposition, were also named among the pardon subjects. Former Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Choi Ji-sung and former President Jang Chung-ki, who were both convicted in the National Assembly of the Park Geun-hye administration's abuse of power allegations, were included in the pardon and restoration list. Chey Shinwon, former chairman of SK Networks, who was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in May for embezzlement and breach of trust, was also designated as a target for the special pardon for businesspeople.
President Lee has now taken on 'political burdens' with this Liberation Day special pardon. With urgent issues piling up, such as Lee Chun-seok's stock trading under a fictitious name and the strengthened criteria for capital gains tax for major shareholders, this could provide ammunition for the opposition to create political strife. Among members of the Democratic Party, there are also opinions that 'there is no need to rush the pardon for Cho.'
The People Power Party has intensified its offensive regarding the pardons of Cho and Yoon. Song Eon-seok, the chairperson of the emergency response committee and floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized during the emergency committee meeting, saying, 'Granting a pardon to shameless criminals who show no remorse is a pardon that becomes a seed of national division, directly desecrating the memory of the patriots on the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day.'