South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol granted several pardons on Tuesday, including former President Lee Myung Bak, who had been sentenced to 17 years in prison, former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung Soo and other opposition politicians.
South Korea’s leader has previously granted presidential pardons, including to Samsung Electronics CEO Lee Jae Yong. This is the second since the leader took office in May, which will be effective from Wednesday, according to the Korean news agency Yonhap.
Former President Lee Myung Bak, 81, had been sentenced to 17 years in prison for bribery and embezzlement, but his sentence was suspended due to a chronic illness. Now, the pardon removes the remaining 15 years of his sentence, making him the fourth former president to receive a pardon since the advent of full democracy in South Korea in 1987.
Lee served in the Korean Executive from 2008 to 2013, whose administration was marked by tensions with North Korea. The corruption charges against the leader stemmed from an investigation into his brother’s car company, through which the president was able to profit while in office, according to Bloomberg.
The next pardon is for former governor Kim Kyoung Soo, a prominent political figure and close to former President Moon Jae In, whose two-year sentence for a manipulation-of-opinion offense was set to expire in May 2023. However, Kim Kyoung Soo will not be allowed to run in future elections until May 2028.
According to Yonhap, the other beneficiaries of the presidential pardons are Kim Ki Choon, chief of staff to former President Park Geun Hye; former Finance Minister Choi Kyoung Hwan; former National Intelligence Service directors Nam Jae Joon, Lee Byung Kee and Lee Byong Ho; and former Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Jun Byung Hun.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
