South Korea’s current leader issued a special pardon for former conservative president Lee Myung-bak, who had been serving a 17-year sentence for corruption that could have kept him behind bars into his 90s.
President Yoon Suk-yeol is pondering over a list of people to be pardoned. Among others, Yoon was recommended to pardon former President Lee Myung-bak and former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo. Unlike Lee who was recommended to be pardoned along with reinstatement, if the justice ministry committee s decision is accepted, Kim will be released on parole.
The Ministry of Justice decided Friday to recommend year-end presidential pardons for former President Lee Myung-bak, former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-so and other high-profile politicians, sources said.
It s too early to determine if President Yoon Suk-yeol will benefit from a short-term boost in his job approval rating due to his dogged adherence to principles and the rule of law that has been credited to ending a crippling strike by unionized truck drivers.