Yoon likely to ask Moon to grant special pardon to ex-President Lee

Former President Lee Myung-bak arrives at the Seoul High Court in Seocho District to attend a hearing in this May 2019 photo. Yonhap

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is likely to ask President Moon Jae-in to grant a special pardon to jailed former President Lee Myung-bak when they hold a meeting expected to take place this week, a senior official close to Yoon said Monday.

Lee, who was president from 2008-13, has been serving a 17-year sentence for embezzlement and bribery. He was excluded from the recent presidential pardons for the new year, under which jailed ex-President Park Geun-hye was set free.

Yoon has voiced support for pardoning Lee, citing his old age and deteriorating health.

"We cannot rule out the possibility of asking President Moon to pardon former President Lee," the senior official said.

Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP) also publicly asked Moon to grant a pardon to Lee.

In a Facebook posting, PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon urged Moon to grant a pardon to the former President Lee and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted for bribery but is currently out on parole.

Kim claimed the two should be pardoned for national unity.

In January, the former President Lee was admitted to a hospital for an unspecified chronic illness.

It marked Lee's first hospitalization this year. He visited a hospital three times last year for chronic diseases, including diabetes. (Yonhap)