South Korean lawmaker urges voters to punish ex-presidents at polls

A prominent opposition lawmaker in South Korea has urged citizens to use their votes to hold current and former presidents accountable for past wrongdoings. Park Jie-won of the Democratic Party criticized the public appearances of former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, who were both convicted of corruption.

“

If we forgive the sight of Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in prison, designing his future with a smile, this country will once again reverse course toward state affairs mismanagement and a republic of corruption.

Park stated that allowing Park, who was impeached, and Lee, who was imprisoned for corruption, to campaign freely would lead the country backward. He warned that failing to punish them would allow South Korea to regress into an era of "state affairs mismanagement and a republic of corruption."

"If we forgive the sight of Yoon Suk-yeol, who is in prison, designing his future with a smile, this country will once again reverse course toward state affairs mismanagement and a republic of corruption," Park wrote on Facebook. He called for a vote to "punish Yoon Suk-yeol, as well as Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, to clear out treason and save democracy."

“

Yoon Suk-yeol, as well as Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, to clear out treason and save democracy.

Park referenced the outcomes of previous conservative presidencies, questioning their results and urging voters to "punish by voting" to demonstrate a commitment to democracy and transparency. Park Geun-hye served time for corruption and abuse of power before being granted a special pardon in 2021. Lee Myung-bak was also pardoned in 2022 after serving part of his sentence for embezzlement and bribery. Both have recently appeared at campaign events for the ruling party.

“

Punish by voting. Let's show democracy and a transparent Korea by voting.