A bill to amend the Amnesty Act to ban presidential pardons for those who committed insurrection or treason passed the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee's first subcommittee on bill review on the 20th. The People Power Party opposed the bill and walked out of the meeting room.
The Legislation and Judiciary Committee held its first subcommittee on bill review at the National Assembly that afternoon and approved the amendment to the Amnesty Act.
The amendment would bar the president from granting pardons to those who committed insurrection and treason. However, because the presidential pardon power is specified in Article 79 of the Constitution, some argue the amendment is unconstitutional. In response, the ruling party included an exception clause allowing pardons with the consent of three-fifths of all National Assembly members.
Seo Young-kyo, a Democratic Party lawmaker on the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said, "There is a need to overhaul the system so that no get-out-of-jail-free card is given for serious crimes that threaten the constitutional order, such as the declaration of martial law," adding, "The aim is to help safeguard the constitutional order by restricting the exercise of the pardon power."
Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party criticized, "The presidential pardon power stipulated in Article 79 of the Constitution is the president's inherent authority and a highly political act of governance," adding, "Seeking to restrict it by legislation violates the constitutional principle of separation of powers."