[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice's Pardon Review Committee, which selects candidates for the year-end special pardon, will convene on the 23rd.
The Ministry of Justice will hold a Pardon Review Committee meeting at 10 a.m. at the Government Complex Gwacheon to review candidates for the year-end special pardon.
Once the committee decides on the candidates for the special pardon recommendation, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon will report the results to President Yoon Seok-yeol, who holds the pardon authority. Upon receiving the report, President Yoon is expected to preside over a Cabinet meeting on the 27th to finalize the list and then grant the pardons effective on the 28th.
In political circles, there is a prevailing expectation that former President Lee Myung-bak, who was excluded from the Liberation Day special pardon in August, will be pardoned. Lee has about 15 years remaining on his sentence. He also did not apply to extend the suspension of his sentence, which expires on the 28th. Attention is also focused on whether former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, a prominent pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) figure from the opposition, will be pardoned. Kim was sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court last July for the 'Druking comment manipulation case' and is scheduled for release in May next year. Since he has little time left on his sentence, it seems more likely that he will be reinstated rather than having the remainder of his sentence waived.
If Kim is reinstated, he could attempt a political comeback. If reinstatement fails, his eligibility to run for office will be restricted until May 2028. When the possibility of a waiver of the remaining sentence without reinstatement was raised, Kim expressed through Democratic Party lawmaker Ki Dong-min that he "will not be a mere accessory to MB (former President Lee Myung-bak)'s pardon."
Among the ruling party, the possibility of pardons for former Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Choi Kyung-hwan, former National Intelligence Service chiefs Nam Jae-joon, Lee Byung-gi, and Lee Byung-ho, and among the opposition, former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Jeon Byeong-heon, are also being discussed. At one point, a scenario for exempting former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook from her fine was also mentioned, but it is reported to have been excluded from review due to lack of precedent.
In the business community, there are expectations for pardons for Lee Joong-geun, chairman of Booyoung Group; Park Chan-gu, chairman of Kumho Petrochemical Group; and Choi Ji-sung, former head of Samsung Electronics' Future Strategy Office.
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