- Ministry of Justice Pardon Review Committee Not Held… Government Completely Withholds 81st Liberation Day Special Pardons
- 'Dramatic Contrast' with a Year Ago When Influential Politicians Like Cho Kuk, Yoon Mee-hyang, and Choi Kang-wook Were Pardoned En Masse
- Skipped New Year, March 1st, and Now Liberation Day… If None by Year-End, It Will Be the First 'Year Without Special Pardons' in 9 Years
- Analyzed as a Move Mindful of Criticism Over Abuse of Pardon Authority and Public Opinion… Influenced by Political Gain-Loss Calculations
The 'Liberation Day Special Pardon,' which used to draw the attention of political and business circles every year ahead of Liberation Day, has disappeared this year. Following the New Year and March 1st, the special pardon for Liberation Day has also fallen through, and barring any additional measures for the rest of the year, it is projected to be recorded as the first 'year without special pardons' in 9 years since 2017.
According to political and legal circles on the 15th, the government has decided not to execute the 81st Liberation Day special pardons. Even the Ministry of Justice Pardon Review Committee, a key preliminary procedure for special pardons, was not convened. Although special pardons, which are the president's inherent constitutional authority, do not have mandatory provisions requiring them to be executed at specific times, past administrations have actively utilized them as opportunities for national integration and the recovery of people's livelihoods.
This year's 'disappearance of special pardons' stands in stark contrast to the situation just a year ago. The Lee Jae-myung administration executed a large-scale pardon and reinstatement of 2,188 people and special reductions and exemptions of administrative sanctions for about 830,000 people on Liberation Day last year. Notably, former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, who was imprisoned in late 2024 after receiving a confirmed two-year prison sentence, was abruptly pardoned in about eight months, shaking up the political landscape by including 27 influential political figures and public officials, including Chung Kyung-shim, Choi Kang-wook, and Yoon Mee-hyang, on the list.
However, such politician-centered pardons have faced fierce criticism that 'the president's pardon authority is being abused according to political interests.' The government's withdrawal of the special pardon card this year is also interpreted as a breath-catching measure to preemptively block negative public opinion and political fallout regarding the 'pardon party' for former public officials and politicians. With the exercise of the massive pardon authority coming to a halt, political circles are paying keen attention to whether year-end special pardons will resume to turn the political tide in the future.