Politicians unlikely to be pardoned

By Kang Seung-woo

Park Sang-ki

Convicted politicians are not likely to be among the beneficiaries of presidential pardons on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, according to legal sources, Thursday.

This is seen as a move to prevent any charges of political favoritism they said.

However, people found guilty for their roles in rallies linked to the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) and the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol will be recommended to President Moon Jae-in for special pardons.

The Ministry of Justice held meetings, presided over by Minister Park Sang-ki, from Wednesday to Thursday to finalize a list of people for amnesty. Earlier, the ministry asked district police agencies to submit possible candidates.

The government here traditionally grants amnesty on nationally significant days. President Moon has issued special pardons once in December 2017 after taking office in May the same year.

In the lead-up to the centennial of the 1919 independence movement, there has been rampant speculation that progressive figures such as former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, former Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae and Han Sang-kyun, former leader of the militant Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), could be granted special pardons.

Leftists have also urged the government to pardon Lee Seok-ki, a former lawmaker of the now-defunct Unified Progressive Party who was convicted of treason.

However, the ministry decided to exclude these figures given that the presidential pardons could be seen as being given for political purposes and invite a backlash from conservatives and eventually undermine the significance of the independence movement.

Participants at the meetings also deliberated on whether to offer pardons to citizens convicted of organizing illegal rallies connected to six high-profile issues.

These were the construction of a naval base on Jeju Island; a “comfort women” deal between Korea and Japan; the Lee Myung-bak government's decision to import U.S. beef; the Park Geun-hye administration's mishandling of the Sewol ferry disaster; the installation of a transmission tower in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province; and the THAAD deployment.

Even if it grants amnesty to those convicted for organizing the rallies, the ministry plans to minimize the number of beneficiaries and exclude those who were given prison terms.

When it comes to other criminals, the justice ministry will exclude people convicted of driving without a license and those involved in fatal drunk-driving incidents, amid growing public calls for heavier punishment for such driving offenses.

In the special pardons in December 2017, 6,400 people were granted amnesty ― most of whom were minor offenders or political protesters. Chung Bong-ju, a former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker who had been jailed for violating the Election Law, was the lone politician pardoned.