NPAD leader says ex-President Lee behind pardon
By Do Je-hae
The main opposition party leader denied accusations Thursday made by the ruling Saenuri Party that illegal "financial transactions" resulted in special pardons being granted to the late businessman Sung Woan-jong by the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
The New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Rep. Moon Jae-in held an emergency press conference at his party's headquarters to refute mounting criticism from the ruling camp and conservative media reports linking the Roh administration with Sung, the late construction tycoon-turned-politician who committed suicide earlier this month after writing a memo listing recipients of bribes including close aides of President Park Geun-hye.
The NPAD leader held the news conference to turn the tide ahead of the April 29 by-elections as the corruption scandal has shown signs of dealing a blow to his political career.
The ruling Saenuri Party played the Sung card to connect the main opposition party leader to the scandal, putting pressure on Moon to disclose what happened when he served as senior presidential secretary under the Roh government which granted pardons for the businessman.
Moon fired back at the ruling party, saying it was politicizing the scandal to favor its candidates. Moon said that the ruling party is trying to discredit him by creating baseless allegations.
Ahead of the April 29 by-election, public sentiment toward the ruling camp has been cooling due to the Sung scandal, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo late Monday. Since then, the ruling party has been putting the blame on the opposition camp for Sung's special pardons in 2005 and 2007, after the former Keangnam Enterprise chairman was found guilty of embezzlement and the misappropriation of corporate funds.
"The essence of this scandal is the illegal campaign transactions of the current administration," Moon said. "We urge the introduction of a special counsel for a thorough investigation. Anyone involved in the scandal should resign and submit themselves for questioning."
Moon urged the ruling party to stop the duel over the pardons. "Under the Roh government, I can say with certainty that no one was granted a special pardon after illegal monetary dealings."
Moon repeated his party's position that the second pardon for Sung in December 2007 was granted at the behest of the Lee Myung-bak administration's transition committee.
He called for a special counsel to investigate the Sung scandal and the failed energy diplomacy projects of the Lee Myung-bak administration.
"We have evidence that the Roh administration played a crucial role in Sung's second special pardon," said Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Saenuri Party in a radio interview, Wednesday. "There is no way that Moon, who was serving as chief of staff to former President Roh, did not know about the pardon."
Kweon served as secretary for legal affairs at Cheong Wa Dae during the Lee administration.
"Based on my Cheong Wad Dae experience dealing with special pardons, the NPAD's position that the president and his chief of staff were not associated with decisions about special pardons does not make sense."
By Do Je-hae
 |
| A grim-faced Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy takes questions from reporters during a news conference in the National Assembly, Thursday. / Yonhap |
The New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) Rep. Moon Jae-in held an emergency press conference at his party's headquarters to refute mounting criticism from the ruling camp and conservative media reports linking the Roh administration with Sung, the late construction tycoon-turned-politician who committed suicide earlier this month after writing a memo listing recipients of bribes including close aides of President Park Geun-hye.
The NPAD leader held the news conference to turn the tide ahead of the April 29 by-elections as the corruption scandal has shown signs of dealing a blow to his political career.
The ruling Saenuri Party played the Sung card to connect the main opposition party leader to the scandal, putting pressure on Moon to disclose what happened when he served as senior presidential secretary under the Roh government which granted pardons for the businessman.
Moon fired back at the ruling party, saying it was politicizing the scandal to favor its candidates. Moon said that the ruling party is trying to discredit him by creating baseless allegations.
Ahead of the April 29 by-election, public sentiment toward the ruling camp has been cooling due to the Sung scandal, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo late Monday. Since then, the ruling party has been putting the blame on the opposition camp for Sung's special pardons in 2005 and 2007, after the former Keangnam Enterprise chairman was found guilty of embezzlement and the misappropriation of corporate funds.
"The essence of this scandal is the illegal campaign transactions of the current administration," Moon said. "We urge the introduction of a special counsel for a thorough investigation. Anyone involved in the scandal should resign and submit themselves for questioning."
Moon urged the ruling party to stop the duel over the pardons. "Under the Roh government, I can say with certainty that no one was granted a special pardon after illegal monetary dealings."
Moon repeated his party's position that the second pardon for Sung in December 2007 was granted at the behest of the Lee Myung-bak administration's transition committee.
He called for a special counsel to investigate the Sung scandal and the failed energy diplomacy projects of the Lee Myung-bak administration.
"We have evidence that the Roh administration played a crucial role in Sung's second special pardon," said Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the Saenuri Party in a radio interview, Wednesday. "There is no way that Moon, who was serving as chief of staff to former President Roh, did not know about the pardon."
Kweon served as secretary for legal affairs at Cheong Wa Dae during the Lee administration.
"Based on my Cheong Wad Dae experience dealing with special pardons, the NPAD's position that the president and his chief of staff were not associated with decisions about special pardons does not make sense."
![[INTERVIEW] How ATEEZ achieved worldwide success](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/c7723b56dde94eb4b260950d368fe8fb.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
