Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Ex-President Lee Myung-bak likely to be pardoned
Former President Lee Myung-bak is expected to receive a special pardon later this year. Korea Times file
By Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Former President Lee Myung-bak is expected to receive a special pardon later this year as part of President Yoon Suk-yeol's second round of special pardons.
According to the presidential office, Yoon is expected to grant special pardons at the end of the year. The presidential pardons are likely to be granted on December 28.
The former president is serving a 17-year prison sentence for embezzlement and bribery. Lee, who governed the country from 2008 to 2013, was charged with 16 criminal allegations in 2018 and sentenced in 2020.
Currently, Lee is out of prison, having been granted a temporary suspension of his sentence due to health issues. He initially filed the request for a three-month temporary suspension in June and then requested an extension for another three months in September. His suspension is set to expire on Dec. 28 at midnight.
The Ministry of Justice will review the beneficiaries of the pardon on Dec. 20 and the government is expected to announce the official list on Dec. 27 after a Cabinet meeting.
Traditionally, presidential pardons were given to high-profile and model prisoners such as former presidents. Yoon voiced his intention to pardon Lee during his presidential campaign and said during one of his daily briefing session with reporters in June that it would go “against precedents” for the former leader to serve 20 years behind bars.
There was speculation that the former president would be included in Yoon's first round of special pardons back in August, which were granted on the occasion of Liberation Day. However, Lee and other politicians were not included among those who were pardoned at that time. One notable figure who did receive a pardon in August was the Samsung heir, Lee Jae-yong.
Other potential beneficiaries of the upcoming special pardon include South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo, who is currently serving a two-year sentence for online opinion rigging, and former Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan.
Kim's prison term is scheduled to end in May 2023. However, if Kim is not reinstated, he will not be able to run for elections until May 2028, which would disqualify him from participating in the next general and local elections.