RIVAL PARTIES SPLIT ON SPECIAL PARDONS

[Anchor Lead]

We reported yesterday about President Yoon Suk-yeol's special pardons, which included former President Lee Myung-bak. Rival parties showed opposed responses to his decision. The ruling People Power Party said the President's special pardons were aimed at boosting national unity and overcoming social conflict, however, the main opposition Democratic Party strongly criticized his decision, saying that the pardons included officials from previous administrations linked to corruption, and that it's a move that will only cause more division and conflict.

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The People Power Party said President Yoon Suk-yeol's special pardons were aimed at boosting national unity and overcoming social conflict. The ruling party cited the fact that politicians from both sides of the aisle were included. It noted that pardons under the previous administration centered mainly on progressive figures in the labor and civic sectors, and called on the Democratic Party not to denigrate President Yoon's intention.

[Soundbite] Yang Kum-hee(Senior Spokesperson, PPP) : "It's deplorable that the DP views the president's hope for unity through the lens of old school politics. Do not smear Yoon's determination to pursue unity."

Meanwhile, the DP strongly criticized the pardons saying a large number of officials from the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations linked to corruption have been released. The main opposition also took note of the irony that it was President Yoon himself who had led investigations into those corruption cases when he was chief prosecutor.

[Soundbite] Park Sung-joon(Spokesperson, DP) : "Is prosecutor Yoon who investigated corruption and President Yoon who is pardoning those forces the same person? Yoon should answer why his standards and principles have changed."

As for former Gyeongsangnamdo Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo, the DP said even though Kim said he did not want a pardon, he was included nonetheless just for the sake of it and without a reinstatement, a move that will only cause more division and conflict. The minor opposition Justice Party also blasted the pardons as only serving to consolidate corrupt, anti-democratic forces and said the so-called aim of national unity cannot cover up that fact.