EX-PRES. LEE UNDER REVIEW FOR PARDONS

[Anchor Lead]

Many believe former president Lee Myung-bak will receive a pardon at the end of the year, and that a 'pardon without reinstatement of rights' will be given for former Gyeongsangnam-do Province governor Kim Kyoung-soo, who was sentenced to two years in prison after found guilty of an online opinion rigging scandal ahead of the 2017 presidential election. Regarding such views, Kim said he refuses to be a mere sidekick for the pardon of former president Lee.

[Pkg]

President Yoon Suk Yeol, from the early days of taking office, has mentioned a possible pardon for former President Lee Myung-bak.

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(President (Jun. 9)) : "Isn't it wrong to have him imprisoned for 20 plus years, when considering past precedents?"

However Lee was left out from the pardons list granted on the occasion of Liberation Day in August amid negative public opinion and Yoon's low approval rating. The top office believes the situation is different this time around. The office says an amnesty of politicians including the former president is necessary this time for the purpose of national unity. December 28 is the possible date of Lee's pardon because that is when the current stay in his sentencing expires. Among opposition bloc politicians, former Gyeongsangnam-do Province governor Kim Kyoung-soo, whose release from prison is scheduled for next May, is also cited as a likely candidate. However the dominant view is that reinstatement of rights is rather unlikely. One presidential official conveyed the mood by saying the former governor is viewed very unfavorably among conservatives due to the online opinion rigging scandal. Without a reinstatement, Kim cannot run for an election through 2028. The main opposition Democratic Party has angrily reacted to such media reports on the suspected pardons in the absence of an official announcement by the presidential office. The DP argued that pardoning a politician without reinstatement is no different than a parole and demanded the top office do not put Kim on the pardons list just for the sake of including an opposition figure.

[Soundbite] Park Hong-keun(Floor Leader, Democratic Party) : "Both pardon and reinstatement should be sought for Kim in terms of fairness if the amnesty is truly meant for national unity."

Kim himself also said he does not want a parole and that he refuses to be a mere sidekick for the pardon of former president Lee. Some DP members have even speculated that Kim's pardon may have an ulterior motive to shake up the current DP leadership of Lee Jae-myung as Kim can be a rallying force to attract forces who do not support Lee and are close to former President Moon Jae-in.