Ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk given presidential pardon ahead of Liberation Day

Cho Kuk, former head of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, reacts to his supporters before entering the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, Dec. 16, 2024. He was sentenced to two years in prison for charges including college admissions fraud involving his children and obstruction of a presidential office inspection. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

President Lee Jae Myung on Monday granted a special pardon to Cho Kuk, former head of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, despite fierce protest from conservative political parties and civic groups. Cho has been jailed for academic fraud involving his children.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which has claimed Cho was scapegoated and subjected to a wrongful and excessive investigation for political reasons, hopes that this decision will consolidate liberal supporters and build momentum for judicial reform. However, the opposition has condemned the pardon as an affront to justice.

Lee approved Cho's pardon during an extraordinary Cabinet meeting held to discuss the list of special presidential pardons for National Liberation Day, following its review by the Ministry of Justice last week.

The session was held a day before a regularly scheduled Cabinet meeting, with aides saying the president wanted to deal with the politically controversial issue separately from the economic and social policy discussions.

Cho, who was also a senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and a former justice minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, has been serving a two-year prison sentence since last December for college admissions fraud concerning his children, as well as for obstructing an investigation into misconduct allegations by a senior aide during his time as presidential secretary.

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said that Lee supported the justice ministry’s pardon recommendation for politicians, describing it as a step toward promoting unity. "We expect the pardon to lead to momentum for restoring politics through dialogue and reconciliation," she said.

According to Kang, the main goal of this Liberation Day amnesty was to ease tensions arising from last year’s martial law fiasco brought by former President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kang also highlighted that there were more opposition figures than ruling party members on the list, and that Cho’s inclusion came after appeals from political, religious and civic groups.

Although he has served only about one third of his term, some lawmakers argue that the punishment is excessive and that his political record, including his outspoken opposition to the previous Yoon Suk Yeol's administration, made him a strong candidate for clemency.

Then lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang, who was indicted on charges of misappropriating donations to the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, leaves the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, Seoul, Feb. 10, 2024. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

According to the ministry, Cho will be granted full reinstatement alongside the pardon. This will restore his eligibility to run for office again, which could reshape the landscape for the June 2026 local elections and the next presidential race.

Some argue that the pardon demonstrates balance, as it covers politicians from across the political spectrum, and speculate that it could lead to long overdue judicial reforms.

However, critics argue that this could reignite debates about fairness and deepen partisan gridlock in the National Assembly, making it more difficult to pass budget or tax measures. Political analysts warn that the “pardon fight” may dominate headlines for weeks, overshadowing other parts of the president’s agenda.

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) strongly condemned Cho's pardon.

"This pardon, which was made with arrogance by ignoring opposition from the people and opposition parties, will be remembered as a dark history of abuse of presidential power for pardons," PPP interim leader Rep. Song Eon-seog said.

PPP spokesperson Ho Jun-seok also said in a statement that the Lee administration “trampled on fairness and common sense” through the amnesty for Cho.

The list of pardons included Cho and his wife, former professor Chung Kyung-sim, who was also jailed on college admission fraud charges, as well as former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, who was involved in the same admissions fraud charges.

Former DPK lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang, who had received a suspended sentence for misusing donations intended for victims of Japan’s wartime sex slavery, was also pardoned.

Regarding Yoon's pardon, the PPP spokesperson said that granting clemency to “a criminal whom sex slavery victims accused of exploiting them” on the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day was “mocking the nation’s history,” adding that the decision further undermined the rule of law and public morality.

According to the justice ministry, the Liberation Day amnesty covered 1,303 individuals, including 17 politicians, 1,920 criminals with minor crimes and 747 people who had been punished for breaching various administrative laws, including traffic regulations.