Excluding Lee Myung-bak, Lee Jae-yong Pardon Expected... 8.15 Liberation Day Special Amnesty Announcement Today

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The list of special pardon recipients for the August 15 Liberation Day will be announced on the 12th. This is the first special pardon carried out by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

The government will hold an extraordinary Cabinet meeting at the Government Seoul Office in the morning to announce the final list of Liberation Day pardon recipients. According to precedent, the announcement is expected to be made directly by Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon.

According to political and legal circles, considering negative public opinion, many politicians such as former President Lee Myung-bak and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo are expected to be largely excluded from the pardon list, while many business figures including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong are expected to be pardoned and reinstated.

The government reportedly deliberated until the last moment on pardoning former President Lee but ultimately decided to exclude him. This decision appears to be based on the analysis that carrying out a pardon amid unfavorable public opinion?where nearly 70% of the public negatively evaluate President Yoon Seok-yeol’s administration?could be burdensome.

Former President Lee is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence and a fine of 13 billion won, confirmed in October 2020, for embezzlement and bribery related to the auto parts company 'Das'. In June, he applied for a suspension of sentence execution due to health reasons, which the prosecution accepted, leading to his temporary release. Recently, he reportedly told close aides, "If my pardon causes unnecessary disruption to (national) stability, it is better not to be pardoned."

In the business community, the reinstatement of Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is the biggest point of interest. He was involved in the Park Geun-hye administration's 'state affairs manipulation' scandal, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in January last year, and was paroled in August last year. His sentence ended on the 29th of last month. However, he has been subject to a five-year employment restriction, making normal management activities difficult, leading to strong calls from the business community for his pardon.

There are also expectations that Chairman Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Group, Chairman Park Chan-gu of Kumho Petrochemical, and Chairman Lee Jung-geun of Booyoung Group may be included in the pardon list as part of efforts to overcome the economic crisis.