Former President Lee Myung-bak, Former Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam Province Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Former President Lee Myung-bak will be released through a special New Year's pardon.
On the 27th, the government finalized and announced 1,373 individuals as recipients of the special New Year's pardon at the Cabinet meeting. The pardon will take effect at midnight on the 28th. As predicted by political and legal circles, former President Lee was pardoned and reinstated. He was prosecuted on charges including embezzlement and bribery through the auto parts company DAS, and in October 2020, the Supreme Court confirmed a 17-year prison sentence, which he has been serving. Currently, due to health reasons, his sentence execution has been exempted, and he is receiving treatment while moving between the hospital and his home. With this pardon confirmed, the remaining 15 years of his sentence have also been exempted.
This time, the government mainly pardoned politicians and public officials, including former President Lee. This contrasts with the August 15 Liberation Day special pardon, which focused on business figures. Nine politicians were pardoned and reinstated, and 66 public officials were pardoned, had their sentences reduced, or were reinstated. Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo was exempted from the remaining sentence execution without reinstatement. Kim was convicted of the 'Druking comment manipulation' case, receiving a two-year prison sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court in July last year, and is currently serving his sentence. His sentence will expire in May next year. Since only the remaining sentence was exempted, his eligibility to run for office will be restricted until May 2028.
Additionally, former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Jeon Byung-hyun's sentence was nullified and he was reinstated, and former Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Gye-ryun and former Gwangju Mayor Kang Woon-tae were reinstated. Former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan, former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Policy Director Lee Heon-soo, and former Defense Security Command Commander Bae Deuk-sik were exempted from the remaining sentence execution and reinstated. Former NIS Director Won Sei-hoon only had his remaining sentence reduced.
Former NIS directors who were investigated and tried for the 'NIS special activity funds bribery' case were also specially pardoned. Former NIS Director Lee Byung-ho was exempted from the remaining sentence execution and reinstated, while former NIS Directors Nam Jae-joon and Lee Byung-gi were reinstated. Former Chief Presidential Secretary Kim Ki-choon, former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Cho Yoon-sun, and former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Woo Byung-woo, who held key positions in the Park Geun-hye administration's Blue House, were also reinstated.
Meanwhile, business figures who had hoped for pardons, such as Lee Joong-geun, Chairman of Booyoung Group; Choi Ji-sung, former head of Samsung Electronics' Future Strategy Office; Park Chan-gu, Chairman of Kumho Petrochemical; and Lee Ho-jin, former Chairman of Taekwang Group, were excluded from the pardon list.
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