Former Grand National Party (GNP) Assemblyman Kim Young Eil and attorney Suh Jeong Woo, both serving time in prison for collecting illegal campaign funds during the last presidential election, are being released on parole. That will mean that not a single former politician remains in prison because of that scandal. It is frustrating to see all of them out of prison only just over a year and a half after they had been punished in accordance with the people's will to eradicate illegal political funds. You cannot tell whether the idea is to eradicate corruption or to encourage it.
Parole was designed so that people who regret their crimes are not kept beyond bars unnecessarily and so that they may be returned to society. You doubt whether, as in this case, you should think only of the circumstances of the individuals involved, as a matter of criminal policy. The illegal campaign funds scandal that involved among other things accepting illegal money by the truckload was a nationally ruinous "power scandal" and behavior like that can only be uprooted once and for all if is thoroughly condemned. It is out of touch with the people's feelings towards the law and their desire to see strict punishment to release these criminals before they have served their time. It is very unfortunate that the parole committee is disregarding the people's sentiments while invoking the legal authority entrusted it by the people.
In this case, during their appeals those involved in the case either had their sentences reduced or received "suspension of sentence," quite unlike would be the case for ordinary citizens. It was called the "bargain sale on prison time." Now those involved are being released without satisfying their reduced sentences. Such indulgent treatment can be called nothing less than a privilege for politicians, because companies gave political funds to politicians as a form of "insurance," essentially as bribes.
There is even talk of amnesty and restoration of rights for those involved. The country will not be able to eradicate illegal political funds or get rid of such habits in this kind of climate. There needs to be better checks on political privilege and restrictions on the authority to grant amnesty for the sake of building of a transparent democratic society.
The Hankyoreh, 21 May 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Eradicating Corruption or Encouraging It? |
