Impeached president enters election race, urges restraint and reflection on pardon's intent

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye made public appearances on May 25, visiting campaign events in Chungbuk, Daejeon, and Chungnam to support ruling People Power Party candidates in the upcoming June 3 local elections.

This marks Park's first foray into public electioneering since her presidential pardon in December 2021. Previously, she had visited Daegu's Chilseong Market two days prior to support Mayor candidate Choo Kyung-ho. During her recent visits, she explicitly mentioned and urged support for People Power Party candidates Kim Young-hwan (Chungbuk governor), Lee Jang-woo (Daejeon mayor), and Kim Tae-heum (Chungnam governor).

While acknowledging that former presidents, like all citizens, possess the right to political participation, the article criticizes the manner of Park's involvement. It argues that direct campaigning for specific candidates or parties, particularly for someone impeached and convicted of crimes during her tenure, risks exacerbating national divisions and should be exercised with restraint. The editorial contrasts this with acceptable forms of political engagement, such as offering opinions on national issues or encouraging voter participation.

The People Power Party's reaction to Park's campaigning is also criticized as unbecoming. Party spokesperson Park Sung-hoon described her actions as a "determined move" to prevent the "collapsing Republic of Korea from being watched any longer," suggesting potential further visits to the Yeongnam region. The article contends that framing an impeached former president's election interference as a "move of national salvation" is inappropriate, regardless of the time elapsed since her removal from office due to "state affairs manipulation."

The official justification for Park's pardon was "national great unity," a sentiment echoed by the Blue House at the time. Park herself expressed apologies for the distress caused and gratitude for the pardon. The article concludes by urging Park and the People Power Party not to assume the public has forgotten the circumstances of her impeachment and conviction, emphasizing that four and a half years is too short a period to erase those memories.