[Editorial] Legislation Needed to Stop Indiscriminate Pardons

On Friday the government issued a massive series of pardons, some of which go to politicians found guilty for involvement in the collection of illegal campaign funds. The legal community, scholars, and civic groups have called like never before for the president to exercise restraint in using the authority he has to issue pardons. Many claimed that while people who committed crimes in the course of trying to maintain livelihoods and prisoners of conscience are one thing, politicians convicted of corruption must not be given amnesty. Still, president Roh Moo Hyun would hear nothing of it. You feel from him a sort of arrogance that says, "Call me what you want. I'm going to do what I want to anyway."

Roh has always said his most important role is eradicating corruption and doing away with the "emperor-style presidency." This series of pardons goes against both of those goals. How do you talk about eradicating corruption and reforming the culture of Korean elections when politicians convicted of corruption are released and have their rights restored before they serve out their terms? Many of the politicians who have now had their rights restored will soon be in positions of national authority again. The people are left frustrated, having once fully supported the investigation into illegal presidential campaign funds.

During his own campaign Roh promised to be strict with the use of pardons. That means he was better aware than anyone of how that authority was abused by previous presidents. Since then he has discarded that promise like an old shoe and is now actually abusing the presidential right to grant pardons, something emblematic of "emperor-like" privilege. This time around he may have excluded aides like An Hui Jeong and Choe Do Sul from the list of people getting pardons in order to save face, but it's is obvious they are going to get it next time.

The move reminds you of how it is too much to expect that the abuse of pardons can be prevented by a president's own intentions instead of through the law. There quickly needs to be an official mechanism for preventing the indiscriminate issuance of pardons that goes against the will of the people and takes place for political goals.

The Hankyoreh, 13 August 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]