hankyoreh

an umbrella organization representing 39 civic organizations

President Lee Myung-bak has handed out this year’s special Liberation Day pardons, including to 14 chaebol heads like Hyundai Kia Auto Group President Chung Mong-koo and SK Group President Chey Tae-won. This round of pardons is sparking great protest because of what many see as the administration’s over-issue of indiscriminate pardons to businessmen under the justification of reviving the economy. With the inclusion of conservative media owners found guilty of tax evasion, there is controversy, too, that the pardons are ideologically biased.

Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han announced on August 12 he would mark the 63 anniversary of Korea’s Liberation and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea by executing pardons for 341,846 individuals, including politicians, businessmen and petty economic criminals, to “create jobs by rescuing the economy” and to “open an age of reconciliation and companionship.” The pardon frees, restores the rights, or reduces prison terms for 74 economic figures; 204 small merchants; 34 politicians, high-level officials, and regional government heads; 1,902 people who committed election law violations prior to the 17th general election; nine labor law violators; and 328,335 civil servants who had been sanctioned prior to the inauguration of the current administration.

The economic figures, a major pardon target, included people found guilty of embezzling large amounts of money and cooking their companies’ books, such as Chung, Chey, Hanwha boss Kim Seung-youn, former Geopyeong Group President Na Seung-nyeol and former Kohap Group President Jang Chi-hyeok. Also included were Chosun Ilbo President Bang Sang-hoon, former Dong-A Ilbo Vice President Kim Byung-kun and JoongAng Ilbo President Song Pil-ho, all of whom were sentenced in 2001 for tax evasion. Political figures pardoned included former spy chief Kwon Young-hae, former presidential chief of staff Han Kwang-ok, former Korea National Housing Corp head Kwon Hae-ok and former Korea Sports Council head Kim Un-yong.

With regard to the large number of businessmen included in the pardon, Justice Minister Kim explained they had been given the opportunity to contribute to the national economy, based on consideration of requests from the economic community that more pardons of businessmen were needed to restore the economy and the pardoned businessmen’s contributions to economic development.

Kim Sang-jo, a professor at Hansung University and the director of the civic group Solidarity for Economic Reform, was critical of the pardons. He said that President Lee had pledged seven percent economic growth by firming up law and principles, but by granting these pardons, which negate law and principles, the government has fallen into a self-contradiction that weakens the potential for economic growth.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]