Opposition mayors call on Moon to pardon ex-presidents

President Moon Jae-in speaks with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, right, and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, before their luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Yonhap

Moon stresses need for public consensus on releasing jailed former heads of state

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that public consensus and national unity should be prioritized when granting presidential pardons to imprisoned former Presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak.

Moon made the remarks following the recommendation of the pardons from Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, members of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who were elected during the by-elections on April 7.

The three attended a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae at Moon's invitation. The meeting was interpreted as a gesture to pursue coordination between the ruling and opposition blocs on various state affairs.

According to a key official at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon said during the luncheon that he personally feels pain concerning the imprisonment of the two conservative presidents, but he has to think about “public consensus and national unity” before considering their pardons.

The Cheong Wa Dae official said that the Busan mayor had asked Moon to “reconsider” granting special pardons to the former presidents for “the unity of the nation.”

Former Presidents Park and Lee are serving their jail terms on charges of corruption and bribery, respectively. Exonerating the former presidents has been a long-stalled issue raised by the conservative opposition bloc throughout Moon's tenure.

In a press conference in January, Moon said he thinks that it is difficult to use the presidential right to grant pardons for his predecessors unless there is public consensus on the issue. However, the debate has been reemerging because the PPP had a crushing win over the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the by-elections.

“To my understanding, the president's remark was neither agreement nor refusal,” the Cheong Wa Dae official said. “I believe that Moon is not seeing this as a personal decision. Given that Moon has been very prudent in granting pardons, this situation should also be interpreted from the same perspective.”

During the luncheon, Moon and the two mayors also shared their ideas on Seoul's bid to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games with Pyongyang. Moon has been pursuing this co-hosting as part of his efforts to revive his peace process on the Korean Peninsula through the sporting event. However, there is a slim chance of realizing it, as North Korea announced that it will not participate in this year's Tokyo Summer Olympics, which would be a key step toward the joint hosting.

The Cheong Wa Dae official said that Moon said it is “too early to give up” on the joint hosting bid, and that South Korea should wait to see if the North will actually be absent in the Tokyo Games, because Pyongyang could change its stance at the last minute.

Oh said that Seoul should pursue hosting the Games on its own first, and then wait for Pyongyang's participation. Seoul submitted its bid to co-host the 2032 Games with Pyongyang to the International Olympic Committee on April 1.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, left, and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, right, walk with new Presidential Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Cheol-hee before their luncheon with President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Yonhap

Also at the luncheon, Moon and the mayors shared their ideas on policies to stabilize the domestic real estate market and measures to contain COVID-19.

Oh said that the current government regulations are hindering the reconstruction of old apartments in Korea, while Moon responded that easing regulations on reconstruction may trigger excessive increases in home prices. However, the president said that he will order the land ministry to better cooperate with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The luncheon is being seen as one of Moon's efforts to contain the aftermath of the defeat of the ruling DPK in the by-elections, as well as to maintain his momentum in handling state affairs.

During a meeting with his aides on Monday, Moon requested that the government communicate with the PPP and the mayors of Seoul and Busan, sending signals on potential changes in the government's real estate policies and anti-pandemic measures.