Park Geun-hye, the former president of South Korea impeached and convicted of corruption, greets the public during a visit to her mother’s birthplace in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, with candidates from the conservative People Power Party on May 25, 2026. (Yonhap)
Former President Park Geun-hye on Monday visited Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province, Daejeon and Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. Just as she did at Chilseong Market in Daegu two days earlier, she was there to rally support for candidates from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) running in the June 3 local elections.Stumping for Daegu mayoral candidate Choo Kyung-ho at the market, Park appealed to a crowd of backers and reporters to support the likes of PPP candidates Kim Young-hwan (North Chungcheong governor), Lee Jang-woo (Daejeon mayor) and Kim Tae-heum (South Chungcheong governor), all incumbents seeking reelection.Dubbed the “election queen” while leading her party during her political career, this marked the first time she took to the streets to support candidates since her pardon in December 2021.The political activities of a former president should not be viewed solely in a negative light. After all, the right to participate in politics is a universal civil right that even an ex-head of state is entitled to. The issue lies in her manner of participation. There is nothing wrong with a former government dignitary expressing opinions on pending national issues, encouraging voter participation ahead of a major election, or sharing views on voting criteria and direction.But a former head of state must avoid directly engaging in campaigning for a party he or she once belonged to or backing specific candidates, as this could incite new division and conflict. This is especially true for Park, who was removed from office through impeachment and sentenced to 20 years in prison for maladministration and criminal acts during her term.The PPP’s attitude is also utterly disgraceful. On Park’s actions, the party’s chief spokesman, Park Sung-hoon, said, “This decisive move stems from her conviction that she can no longer just stand by and watch the Republic of Korea collapse.” “I believe she could visit the [southeastern] Yeongnam region in addition to the Chungcheong provinces,” he said. No matter how much time has passed, attempts to sway elections by a former president ousted for abuse of government power can never be packaged as a “decision to save the nation.”Back on Dec. 24, 2021, the government’s official justification for the pardon Park received was “national unity.” This was clearly reflected in the Blue House briefing on the matter at the time, which said, “We hope that this serves as an opportunity to move beyond differences of opinion and partisan divide to promote unity and harmony and usher in a new era.” Right after being pardoned, Park said, “I apologize to the people for causing them so much concern. I express my deepest gratitude to the president [Moon Jae-in] and his administration for pardoning me despite the many difficulties involved.” But Park and the PPP should not delude themselves into believing that the people have forgotten all these events and statements. Four and a half years is far too short a time for that.Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
