 President Lee Myung-bak talks about granting special pardons for up to 1.5 million people during a radio address recorded at Cheong Wa Dae. The address was aired Monday. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae |
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak said Monday he will grant special pardons for up to 1.5 million people, including farmers, fishermen and minor traffic offenders, on the occasion of Liberation Day on Aug. 15.
The pardons are aimed at stabilizing the livelihoods of ordinary people, Lee said, adding that politicians and those convicted of corruption charges will be excluded.
Lee made the remarks in a biweekly radio address, which was also aired on the popular online video site, YouTube.
"We've decided to restore driver's licenses for those who can't drive due to penalties accumulated in the course of doing their jobs," Lee said.
A presidential spokesman said the beneficiaries will mainly be ordinary people who are suffering difficulties due to minor offenses, but that convicted politicians and prominent social figures will not be on the list.
The conservative leader also said it is too early to discuss an exit plan for the country's economy, an indication the government will continue its fiscal spending for the time being.
He expressed confidence, however, that South Korea will be the first to recover from the global economic crisis.
"I believe we still need to make efforts for growth, but what I can say for sure is that we will recover before any other country in the world, although I cannot pinpoint when. I believe we will be able to offer benefits to our citizens before any other country," Lee said.
"Some say we should make a U-turn from the current expansionary mode, but I think it is still too early to discuss that. What is deplorable is that ordinary citizens are the first to suffer from an economic crisis, but they are the last to benefit from a recovery," he added.
Lee would not comment on the political strife that followed the governing Grand National Party's railroading of three media-related bills last Wednesday, but said the revisions were solely aimed at upgrading the country's competitiveness of its media industry.
"I think the time when a particular political force could control the media has passed," he said, in an apparent reference to the opposition's criticism that the revisions are a means for the government to control both the printed media and broadcasting networks.
Regarding recent reports that he may try to overcome the ongoing political feud by reshuffling his Cabinet ministers and secretaries, Lee said he would not resort to a makeshift solution that might provide short-term benefits but could damage the work of the government.
"Of course, there may be some people who need to be replaced for the better, but I believe putting all the blame on those people and replacing them just to avoid a political crisis will lead to a worse outcome under the current conditions," Lee said.
jj@koreatimes.co.kr
