Former president Park Geun-hye granted special pardon

By Jo He-rimPublished : Dec 24, 2021 - 10:58       Updated : Dec 24, 2021 - 11:24

|Former President Park Geun-hye is to be pardoned in the special New Year presidential pardon granted to 3,094 individuals. Former President Lee Myung-bak was not included in the list.

Park, 69, has been serving a combined 22-year term since March 2017 for charges including abuse of power and bribery, after she was impeached in the year before.

Her immediate predecessor Lee, who is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for bribery and embezzlement, has not been given the special pardon.

The Justice Ministry said it considered Park’s deteriorating health when issuing the special pardon.

Park was hospitalized three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. She also received shoulder surgery in 2019.

The pardon, which is set to take effect from Dec. 31, also includes reinstatement of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who was imprisoned from 2015 to 2017 for taking some 900 million won ($750,000) of illegal political funds.

Han served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, and was later leader of a predecessor to the ruling party.

The list also includes 38 entrepreneurs and small business operators, two political and labor activists, as well as reinstatement of one person who has been charged for illegal abortion.

The government also gave a special reduction of punishment to 983,051 people, all but 2,271 of whom had received driver’s license suspensions.

The Justice Ministry said it decided on the special pardon to relieve the burden for the people experiencing difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote unity in society.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)