Granted, more than a fair number of right-wing fascist types have been the recipients of generous pardons, and even more have never been prosecuted, but that’s neither here nor there; pardoning these bums for illegally raising and passing on large sums of money to North Korea — North Korea! — is pure bullshit. And how’s this for an official explanation?
A Chong Wa Dae official acknowledged the move’s aim is to inherit the reconciliation policy toward North Korea of the former Kim Dae-jung administration.
You (rightfully) want to put five GNP lawmakers in the sin-bin for illegally raising money for Lee Hoi-chang, but now you’re going to give pardons to guys who illegally raised money for Kim Jong-il? WTF?
Well, at least it looks like Park Jie-won won’t be getting out of jail.
4 Comments
You need to read Keith Burgess-Jackson’s post that quotes some writer on the notion of bullshit.
Here ya’ go.
Kevin
I think I’m against you on this one. I didn’t pay extensive attention to this issue when it blew up some months ago, but if the funds were passed on as part of the Summit build up, I can agree with pardoning them.
I think passing money to the North is a big pile of bullshit, but it was the policy of Kim Dae-Jung’s administration.
When the fervor (sp?) broke over the cash for summit scandal, I couldn’t get it. I thought everybody knew that the Hyundai president and Kim Dae Jung were paying in material and cash to “better the relationship” with the North and get them to agree to a summit…..And when the summit came, the bulk of Korean society reacted to it like it was the best thing since sliced bread —- I mean rice.
So I can’t understand why a couple of years later there has been such “shock” that the North got material and financial support in exchange for the summit. Again, I thought it was common knowledge back then.
And since it was policy from the top, I can see granting a pardon to those who carried out the orders. Again, I think this way because so much of Korean society thought the summit was correct. Don’t they still think giving aid to the North is the right move and the hardline policy of the US the wrong one?
I disagree completly…but that’s me. Not the Korean government.
Today’s Korea Lies editorial was just too good to pass up so I have not fisked the Cash for Summit pardons yet. I have spoken to many Korean friends about it and they to a one have said:
“It is alright to break the law if it leads to a good thing and better relations with NK is good.”
Korea will never be a real player or attract the FDI that it so wants until it understands the need to obey Rule of Law because in Korea, teh law is still applied based on emotion.
And for the VANK wanks; I am getting 100+ hits a day on my site now. I wonder if I am actually getting readers now or Vankers waiting for me to open the comments so they can flame me!
I thought about Casper Wineberger (sp?) when re-reading this piece. Wasn’t he pardonned for the Iran-Contra affair? I think so. He was again carrying out policy set by the top, and since the crime or law broken wasn’t like what brought Nixon down……I don’t get too upset with Casper’s pardon or the ones for the cash for summit deal. I don’t think this damages Korea’s reputation for law and order anywhere close to the corruption news from the last election.