How Should We Feel About President Park Geun-hye's Pardon?
Former President Park Geun-hye is a free woman now. Well, she’s been ensconced in top-notch medical care for the past year at the Samsung Medical Center where she’ll remain for the next couple months. However, as of 12 a.m. on December 31, 2021, she’ll be a patient who’s no longer a prisoner, but a regular citizen once again.
Due to a presidential pardon granted by current South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Park only served 4 years and 9 months out of her 20-year prison sentence. The rest is canceled. She only paid about 3 million dollars out of an 18 million dollar fine. The rest is canceled. Already she had sneaked out of jail by checking into the aforementioned hospital because of ‘back and shoulder pains’. It’s probably because she broke her spine feverishly writing her book that’s dropping next week full of what I expect to be double-entendred fuck you’s to all the people who turned their backs on her. Well, that is her world after all.
She should count her blessings. Even though she’s spent the most time in prison out of all the South Korean presidents, the time has flown by. Others, including myself, who suffered because of her government still have to live with the ‘life lessons’ that were brought about when you allow a Pandora’s Box to open full of greedy, half-formed adults playing with power. Lives were lost. Parents can’t get their children back. Careers were destroyed. Reputations tattered. Investments upended. Life trajectories irrevocably altered. She and her cohort did a lot of bad stuff.
Even though President Moon says Park was granted grace in order to heal the nation, her early release upset a bunch of people. Many feel betrayed. Her supporters are happy. But doesn't it look like she's out to get some people once she's recovered from her 'illnesses'? Not so sure if that's the national unity President Moon intended with his pardon. In the short term, it will definitely cause more division. And with the presidential election coming up, this may actually have been the real strategy. However, it could be one that could backfire on the ruling party.
