Yoon Administration's First 'Gwangbokjeol Pardon'... Lee Myung-bak and Kim Kyung-soo Pardons Off the Table

Pardon Focused on Businesspeople, Livelihood, and Life Offenders... Partial Pardons for Lee Jae-yong, Shin Dong-bin, etc.
Exclusion of Politicians and Former High-ranking Officials from Pardons... Likely Exclusion of Choi Kyung-hwan and Jeon Byeong-heon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Kyung-jun] It has been reported that politicians and former high-ranking public officials, including former President Lee Myung-bak and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, were excluded from the first special pardon review under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Considering the negative public opinion on pardoning politicians and the current decline in President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval ratings, it is unlikely that pardons will be granted to former President Lee and others.

With former President Lee excluded from the pardon list, former Governor Kim was naturally also removed from the list. If former President Lee had been pardoned, pardons for opposition figures would have been considered for fairness, but with Lee excluded, Kim was also excluded. However, since pardons are the president's exclusive authority, the possibility that President Yoon might change his decision at the last minute cannot be ruled out.

According to the legal community on the 10th, the Ministry of Justice's Pardon Review Committee reviewed candidates for the August 15 Liberation Day special pardon and reinstatement for about five hours the previous day. The special pardon candidate list selected by the Pardon Review Committee is reported to President Yoon by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who then makes the final decision. The pardon results are expected to be officially announced on the 12th.

This pardon is expected to focus mainly on some businesspeople and offenders related to livelihood and subsistence crimes. Accordingly, it has been reported that Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Shin Dong-bin, Chairman of Lotte Group, are included in the pardon list. There are also expectations that Park Chan-gu, Chairman of Kumho Petrochemical, and Lee Joong-geun, Chairman of Booyoung Group, will be named as pardon recipients.

There is analysis that some businesspeople were included in the pardon list to promote job creation and investment by companies, which the current administration emphasizes.

Vice Chairman Lee was serving a 2 years and 6 months prison sentence confirmed in the ‘State Manipulation Scandal’ but was released on parole last August 15 Liberation Day. Although his sentence ended on the 29th of last month, he is subject to a five-year employment restriction, so reinstatement through a pardon is necessary for normal business activities.

On the other hand, politicians and former high-ranking public officials were excluded from this pardon. It has been reported that Nam Jae-joon and Lee Byung-ki, former National Intelligence Service directors who were convicted for delivering special activity funds to former President Park Geun-hye, as well as former lawmaker Choi Kyung-hwan, convicted of bribery, and former Blue House political affairs chief Jeon Byung-heon, were also excluded from the pardon list.