Ministry of Justice’s Proposal to Revise Pardon Law Is Stalled

With more and more people criticizing the special pardon announced on May 15 for an “abuse of the pardon power,” it was revealed that a proposal to revise the pardon law, which the Ministry of Justice reported to Cheong Wa Dae, has been in smoke for two years.

According to the Ministry of Justice on May 16, it carried out an inspection into the pardon system to implement President Roh Moo-hyun’s presidential election campaign promise right after the inauguration of the incumbent participatory government in 2003.

In all kinds of papers of his election pledges, President Roh who was a presidential candidate of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) in 2002, promised that if he were elected as president, he would enhance the effectiveness of law execution by strictly applying the standard of pardon and restoration of rights.

The Korean Institute of Criminology, as requested by the Ministry of Justice, made public its results regarding the matter, analyzing that “special pardons have been excessively exercised due to political deals for politicians and businessmen who were involved in illegalities since the Kim Young-sam government.”

In response, the Ministry of Justice submitted its proposal that stipulates a provision that if possible, unscrupulous criminals and those who are involved in illegality and corruption should be excluded, and those who are related to violating the election law should be included on a pardon list after the next election to Cheong Wa Dae. In this proposal, setting up a committee for screening a pardon list that is attended by some neutral outside figures was also included.

After receiving this proposal, however, Cheong Wa Dae has reportedly not even reviewed it properly for two years.

In its comment on May 13, the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy criticized, “Although President Roh promised that he would carefully grant those who are involved in corruption pardons, regarding exterminating corruptions and privileges as his duty, his promise became useless.”

jin0619@donga.com