Democratic Party responds to Yoon’s life sentence with calls for special prosecutor’s appeal and pardon ban law

[Financial News] After former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first-instance trial on insurrection charges on the 19th, the Democratic Party of Korea argued that the sentence was too lenient and urged the special prosecutor to file an appeal. The party also announced plans to push legislation to exclude insurrection and treason offenders from eligibility for presidential pardons, so that Yoon cannot be pardoned while serving his sentence.
Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae met with reporters at the National Assembly the same day and pointed out that the statutory penalties for a ringleader of insurrection are only death or life imprisonment. He argued, "Because the charge of being an insurrection ringleader was applied, life imprisonment is the minimum sentence," and criticized the ruling as "a very inadequate decision that runs counter to the public’s sense of justice, and deeply regrettable."
He also recalled that former President Chun Doo-hwan had his sentence reduced in the insurrection trial, resulting in a final life sentence and a later pardon. Jung remarked, "The judiciary’s practice of commuting the sentence of insurrection ringleader Chun Doo-hwan has persisted and has now returned as yet another tragedy."
Kim Yong-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker who serves as secretary of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, wrote on social media the same day, "Guilty as an insurrection ringleader, yet a lenient life sentence was imposed for various reasons," and demanded, "I call on the special prosecutor to appeal immediately." He added, "Now the National Assembly will move swiftly to pass the pardon ban law."
The pardon ban bill being pushed by the Democratic Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party, and other pro-government bloc parties is a proposal to amend the Amnesty Act so that insurrection and treason offenses are excluded from the scope of presidential pardons. Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk also called for advancing this pardon ban legislation on the same day.
Cho stated, "This judgment on Yoon Suk Yeol is the result of the people’s long-enduring patience," and proposed, "We now need an amendment to the Amnesty Act that prohibits pardons for insurrection offenders, or allows them only when approved by the National Assembly."

uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Song Ji-won Reporter