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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Special pardon for ex-president fuels speculation

People at Seoul Station watch TV coverage of the government's decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, announced by Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, Friday. YonhapParties analyzing impact of amnesty on presidential electionBy Jung Da-min The Moon Jae-in government's announcement, Friday, of a special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president currently serving a 22-year prison term for multiple charges including corruption, has raised various speculation over the timing and reasons for the decision.The President's decision to pardon Park was rather unexpected, as the Ministry of Justice had taken a negative stance on the matter and reportedly said it had excluded her from a list of amnesty candidates during a two-day meeting by a review committee on Monday and Tuesday.Announcing the government's decision, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said the former president's deteriorating health was the biggest factor in granting her amnesty. Since her arrest in March 2017, Park has been receiving treatment for shoulder and back pain. She is currently staying at Samsung Medical Cent

Dec 24, 2021
Special pardon for ex-president fuels speculation
  • Korea grants special pardon to ex-President Park Geun-hye
  • Ex-leftist lawmaker convicted of plotting rebellion paroled

Ex-President Park expresses gratitude for pardon: Park's lawyer

Yoo Yeong-ha, lawyer of former President Park Geun-hye, talks to reporters at Seoul Samsung Hospital where she has been hospitalized, Dec. 24. YonhapEx-President Park Geun-hye expressed gratitude for her pardon to President Moon Jae-in shortly after the announcement of Moon's decision to grant a special pardon to her, her lawyer said Friday. President Moon Jae-in said earlier in the day that he granted a special pardon to former President Park, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, to bolster national unity and in consideration of her deteriorating health. In a meeting with reporters in front of Seoul Samsung Hospital where she has been hospitalized, lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha said that Park feels sorry for worrying people and is grateful for their constant support.Park also expressed gratitude to Moon for his decision to grant a special pardon to her despite difficulties, saying she will focus on treating her disease and will show her gratitude to the people as soon as possible, Yoo added. Moon also decided to pardon and exonerate former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook bec

Dec 24, 2021
Ex-President Park expresses gratitude for pardon: Park's lawyer
  • Korea grants special pardon to ex-President Park Geun-hye

Parties gauge impact of ex-president Park's pardon on upcoming presidential election

This combination of file photos shows Lee Jae-myung, left, ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, and Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party. Korea Times fileA special pardon of former President Park Geun-hye stoked contrasting responses from political parties on Friday, as they began to gauge its impact on the upcoming presidential election. The government decided to grant a special New Year's pardon to Park, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, for national unity and due to her deteriorating health. The 69-year-old has been locked up since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal.Following the announcement, the ruling Democratic Party said it "respects" the government's decision. The DP and its presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung have been opposed to pardoning Park. "This pardon, which was decided following deep consideration of President Moon Jae-in, is a constitutional right of the president," said DP Chairman Song

Dec 24, 2021
Parties gauge impact of ex-president Park's pardon on upcoming presidential election
  • Korea grants special pardon to ex-President Park Geun-hye

Ex-leftist lawmaker convicted of plotting rebellion paroled

Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmker who had been sent to prison on charges of plotting a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea, hugs one of his supporters after being released from a prison in the central city of Daejeon on parole, Dec. 24. YonhapA former left-wing lawmaker convicted of plotting a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea was released on parole Friday. Lee Seok-ki, the former member of the now-disbanded minor opposition Unified Progressive Party, was released from a detention center in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10 a.m., more than eight years after he was imprisoned in September 2013.He was welcomed by about 300 supporters waiting for him in front of the prison since the early morning. Upon his release, Lee slammed the government's announcement that came earlier in the day it granted a special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, who is currently serving a 22-year prison term for far-reaching corruption, citing national unity and Park's poor health

Dec 24, 2021
Ex-leftist lawmaker convicted of plotting rebellion paroled
  • Special pardon for ex-president fuels speculation

Korea grants special pardon to ex-President Park Geun-hye

Former President Park Geun-hye / YonhapSouth Korea's government on Friday announced a special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, saying that pardoning Park would help bolster national unity. Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal.The 69-year-old former president was included in a list of 3,094 pardon beneficiaries who are scheduled to be released on New Year's Eve. The amnesty was decided in consideration of her deteriorating health.This year, Park was hospitalized three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she received shoulder surgery. She will be released directly from Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul, where she is currently staying for treatment, according to officials.Granting a pardon to Park is expected to have a significant impact on next March's presidential election, as Park has commanded the support of voters in Daegu and Nort

Dec 24, 2021
Korea grants special pardon to ex-President Park Geun-hye
  • Parties gauge impact of ex-president Park's pardon on upcoming presidential election
  • Ex-President Park expresses gratitude for pardon: Park's lawyer
  • Special pardon for ex-president fuels speculation

Moon likely to grant pardon to ex-President Park: senior official

In this Oct. 10, 2017, file photo, former President Park Geun-hye, left, arrives to attend a hearing on the extension of her detention at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul. AP-YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in is likely to grant a pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, a senior official at the ruling party said Friday. "I understand that ex-President Park is included on a list of people who are to be granted pardons," the official told Yonhap News Agency by telephone. This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalized three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she received shoulder surgery.Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal. (Yonhap)

Dec 24, 2021
Moon likely to grant pardon to ex-President Park: senior official

Ex-leftist lawmaker convicted of instigating rebellion to be paroled

Lee Seok-ki, former lawmaker of now-disbanded Unified Progressive Party / YonhapA former left-wing lawmaker convicted of instigating a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea will be released on parole later this week, according to sources Thursday.Lee Seok-ki, the convicted former member of the now-disbanded minor opposition Unified Progressive Party, is scheduled to be released from a detention center in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, Friday.His release was reportedly decided by a justice ministry parole review committee Monday. He has served most of his nine-year prison sentence set until September 2022.Lee was indicted in 2013 on charges of conspiring with members of a clandestine organization to topple the government if a war with North Korea broke out. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail in 2014, but a high court commuted the term to 9 years, which was later confirmed by the Supreme Court in January 2015. (Yonhap)

Dec 23, 2021
Ex-leftist lawmaker convicted of instigating rebellion to be paroled

Lee seeks primary rival's support to pursue unity within ruling party

Lee Jae-myung, right, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and former DPK leader Lee Nak-yon, grasp hands after their luncheon held in central Seoul, Thursday. The two ruling party heavyweights, who had competed fiercely in the party's presidential primary, have vowed to cooperate further for the DPK's victory in the presidential election slated for March 9. Joint Press CorpsBy Jung Da-min Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has formally joined hands with former DPK leader Lee Nak-yon, seeking to find a breakthrough in the competition for the next presidential election slated for March 9. Adding Lee Nak-yon, who had remained reclusive since his primary defeat, to the election campaign has been a major task for Lee Jae-myung, as he seeks to display the unity of the party and attract support from loyalists of President Moon Jae-in, as the former DPK chairman is one of Moon's closest aides, having served as prime minister from 2017 to 2020.Their pledge for cooperation, intended to h

Dec 23, 2021
Lee seeks primary rival's support to pursue unity within ruling party

Yoon's mother-in-law gets 1-year jail term for forging financial document

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party / YonhapThe mother-in-law of Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential nominee of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), was sentenced to one year in prison on Thursday for forging a financial document used in a past deal for land purchase. The district court in Uijeongbu, 23 kilometers north of Seoul, convicted the 74-year-old, surnamed Choi, of producing a fake bank account balance certificate and using it to purchase a swath of land in Seongnam, south of Seoul, from April 2013 to October of that year.The forged document suggested she had deposited 34.7 billion won (US$29.2 million) into the account. Prosecutors pressed charges against Choi for alleged document forgery, use of forged papers and violation of real-name property ownership laws. Allegations surrounding Yoon's wife and her family have served as liabilities for the former prosecutor general in terms of public approval.Choi was also convicted in a separate case in July of establishing a medical foundation and opening a long-term care hospital f

Dec 23, 2021
Yoon's mother-in-law gets 1-year jail term for forging financial document
  • Yoon's leadership faces growing doubts

Gov't to cut credit card processing fees for small merchants

gettyimagesbankThe government will cut credit card processing fees for small merchants to ease their burdens amid the COVID-19 crisis, the ruling Democratic Party said Thursday following its meeting with financial authorities. The commission rate for small merchants with an annual revenue of below 300 million won ($252,550) will be lowered from 0.8 percent to 0.5 percent, according to Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the DP. For small business operators with an annual revenue between 300 million won and 500 million won, the rate will go down from 1.3 percent to 1.1 percent, while the rate for those in the 500 million-won to 1 billion-won revenue bracket will be reduced from 1.4 percent to 1.25 percent. The DP said the cut would affect 96 percent of credit card affiliated shops in the country and reduce their card transaction handling fees by about 470 billion won in total. (Yonhap)

Dec 23, 2021
Gov't to cut credit card processing fees for small merchants
  • Struggling small merchants hold rally against business curfews, vaccine pass system
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