Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon expressed his welcome for the reinstatement of former Gyeongnam Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo.
On the 13th, Governor Kim Dong-yeon posted on his social media (SNS), "I welcome the reinstatement of former Governor Kim Kyung-soo," and urged, "From now on, we must break away from divisive politics and call for the president's greater determination and dedication solely for national unity and the stabilization of people's livelihoods."
He added, "The political calculations in Yeouido regarding this rightful reinstatement must also stop now."
Earlier, the government announced special pardons, sentence reductions, and reinstatements for 1,219 people effective on the 15th, ahead of Liberation Day. This included former Governor Kim Kyung-soo, who was convicted for manipulating public opinion through 'Druking' comments, as well as high-ranking officials from the Park Geun-hye administration such as former Senior Secretaries Cho Yoon-sun and Hyun Ki-hwan, former Policy Coordination Secretary Ahn Jong-beom, and former National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon from the Lee Myung-bak administration, who were sentenced for involvement in state affairs manipulation cases.
Former Governor Kim Kyung-soo was exempted from serving the remaining five months of his sentence during the New Year's special pardon by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in December 2022, but he was not reinstated. As a result, under the Public Official Election Act and the Act on the Effectiveness of Punishments, he was barred from running for office until December 2027. However, with this reinstatement, the restrictions on his eligibility to run for office have been lifted.
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