Lim Ija: "Granting Lee Hwayoung a special pardon would spark the Lee administration's downfall"

"Lee Hwa-young's Demand: President Must State His Position Personally"

Lim Ija, policy chief of the People Power Party, said on October 13, referring to former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwa-young's request for a Christmas special pardon, “If (President Lee Jae-myung) grants a tailor-made pardon to former Vice Governor Lee, it would be a clear abuse of power that privatizes the constitutional power to grant pardons and undermines the judicial system, and it would become the decisive spark for the downfall of the Lee Jae-myung administration.”

Lim made the remarks while chairing the party's meeting on preparations for parliamentary audits at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, that day. She also said, “The public cannot help but wonder what fatal weakness President Lee has that a subordinate who is in prison would so arrogantly demand his release from the president,” adding, “At this point, President Lee himself must state his position.”

Lim Ija, policy chief of the People Power Party, delivers opening remarks at a meeting on parliamentary audit preparations at the National Assembly on the 13th.

Criticizing the Lee Jae-myung administration as it approached its 500th day in office, Lim said, “These have been 500 days of state affairs in collapse, marked by arrogance and self-righteousness, incompetence and chaos, and 500 days of an early lame-duck period that has hastened the collapse of its own power.” She added, “Without a sweeping personnel overhaul and a complete change in the direction of state affairs, the remaining 1,300 or so days will bring irreparable misfortune not only to the Lee Jae-myung administration but also to the Republic of Korea and all its people.”

Lim also pointed to problems in the South Korea-U.S. alliance and inter-Korean relations. “I urge President Lee,” she said, calling on him to “immediately dismiss Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and National Intelligence Service Director Lee Jong-seok, who are responsible for the collapse of diplomacy and national security.” She added, “Start over from the fundamentals of the government’s policy direction through a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle, revitalizing the people’s livelihoods and the economy, restoring the rule of law, and normalizing diplomacy and national security.”

Regarding the use of government investment funds in the production of the film Assassins, Lim said, “We view very seriously the indiscriminate use of public funds in a film that distorts history.” She added, “The party’s policy committee will also see through to the end thorough follow-up measures, including clarifying the circumstances behind the investment and preventing a recurrence.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.