The Lee administration should not have placed such an emphasis on law and order. It also should not have mentioned being “friendly to the working class.” The decision to grant a presidential pardon to former Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee shows us in a single stroke the falsehood of the statements President Lee Myung-bak has made during his administration. The nation’s prestige has taken a precipitous drop with this issuance of a special pardon for this individual. The separation of powers, equity in law enforcement, the equality of all people before the law are all precious ideas that have sustained our society and have now lost their luster.
The right to grant pardons may be a privilege inherent to the presidency, but it is a right that must be exercised with great caution. Commonsense dictates that it should only be exercised within limits and only in exceedingly exceptional cases. President Lee, however, seems to regard it as simply a toy in his pocket.
What is even more frightening is the bulldozing charge of a president brimming with confidence. Riding on the giddy sense of achievement stemming from South Korea’s nuclear power plant win, President Lee charged forward in issuing the pardon without first looking around. He was even stinting in the announcement of his pardon announcement to ask for understanding or agreement from the people. Nor did he show even a minimal effort to allay the troubled emotions of working class people despondent about a reality where the difference between a guilty and not guilty verdict lies in how much money you have. The announcement conveyed an arrogance and brazenness of someone intent on not batting an eyelash regardless of what anyone said about the pardon. It is clear that President Lee will now turn around and tell the powerless working class, “All of you had better obey the law.” One cannot help despairing from such an imposition of a double standard.
Meanwhile, there also appears to be an unseemly shadow of a private transaction lurking at the edges of Lee Kun-hee’s pardon. The formal reason President Lee gave for the pardon was that it may assist in drawing the Winter Olympic Games to Pyeongchang. A successful Olympic bid would certainly suit the palate of the president, who would get to add another item to his list of achievements, however, Lee Kun-hee has already worked intently on drawing the Olympics twice before, only to fail both times. The President must know that having the former Samsung chairman involve himself in the battle for the Olympic Games does not provide a guarantee of success. As a result, attention is focusing on what quid pro quo Samsung will offer to show its gratitude.
It has long been rumored in the business world that Samsung had launched an all-out effort to get Lee Kun-hee pardoned, and offered all sorts of proposals to gladden the Lee administration. One rumor suggested a possible relocation of Samsung to Sejong City. Of course, it is still too early to conclude that Samsung made a promise of service in return, but if one was made, its content will come to light soon enough. If indeed Lee Kun-hee’s pardon was the result of a secret transaction between Samsung and those in power, this will become a matter that is difficult for people to simply overlook. We will watch with interest to see how things play out in the days ahead.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
