Speculation has recently spread among political and judicial circles that President Lee Myung-bak may grant a special pardon in time for Christmas. Those to be pardoned would include some of his key associates and family members convicted of bribery and other corruption charges, according to observers.

Possibly backing up the speculation, a presidential aide reportedly said this week there could be a special amnesty on the occasion of Christmas, though Lee has yet to make a final decision.

It may be understood that an outgoing president gives a pardon to some inmates, especially those convicted of minor offenses relating to everyday life. But it would be an improper and controversial act, if Lee is to use it to set free associates and family members who are in prison.

The move would further anger the public disillusioned with a series of corruption scandals involving figures around Lee, including an elder brother and former lawmaker who was arrested in July on bribery charges. It would also cause strong repercussions from political circles, which have been working on measures to prevent a president from abusing the power to grant pardons. The two main contenders for the Dec. 19 presidential election ― Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party and Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party ― have promised to curtail the presidential amnesty power.

Excluding his corrupt acquaintances from a special pardon may be one last thing Lee should do to take responsibility for worsening corruption in the country during his five-year presidency, which ends in February.

South Korea slipped two notches from a year ago to place 45th among 176 nations on the list of this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index issued by global antigraft watchdog Transparency International this week.

The country scored 56 on a scale from 0, perceived to be highly corrupt, to 100, perceived to be very clean. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand were tied for the top ranking with a score of 90 each. North Korea, Afghanistan and Somalia remained at the bottom, each scoring eight points.

Over the past four years, South Korea’s CPI ranking has never climbed, plummeting to 43rd last year after remaining at 39th in the two previous years. Its continuous decline in the index may be thought to be related to a string of corruption cases involving figures with personal ties to Lee as well as other high-level officials and politicians.

In a recent survey of about 1,000 university students, more than 53 percent said they believed the Lee administration had failed to properly tackle corruption, with only about 13 percent giving a positive evaluation of its antigraft efforts. Seven in 10 respondents saw Korean society as corrupt.

As the reason for the widespread corruption, more than 61 percent cited the lack of due punishment, a perception that might have resulted partly from the abuse of the presidential pardon in the past years.

The next president should make fighting corruption a top priority, putting forward a long-term blueprint for solving the chronic problem that has harmed the country’s competitiveness.

Nearly all conceivable ideas and methods have been suggested by political circles, civic groups and academics. There is the need to establish a more independent anticorruption organization and reform the law enforcement agencies, particularly the prosecution tainted by a recent series of corruption and sex scandals. Personnel appointments should be made in a more objective and transparent way to eliminate nepotism in officialdom. Related laws need to be revised to ensure strong access to information systems.

Whoever will be elected to lead the country for the five years to come is asked to form a proper mixture of effective measures and carry it through with firm determination during the presidency.

It is hoped that, by the time the next president leaves office, the country will have seen its ranking in the corruption awareness index rise to the top class. This enhancement would be passed down as one of the most remarkable achievements for Lee’s successor. To the contrary, Lee’s measure to pardon his corrupt associates, if he actually goes through with it, would be marked as another stumbling block he had laid on the road to a corruption-free society.