Key takeaways:
- On Friday, the South Korean government will grant ex-president Park Geun-hye a special pardon after he served a lengthy prison sentence for bribery and other crimes.
- After being removed from office due to a corruption scandal that sparked months of street protests, Park was arrested and sentenced to prison in 2017.
Ex-president Park Geun-hye will be granted a special pardon on Friday by the South Korean government, serving a lengthy prison sentence for bribery and other crimes.
According to the Justice Ministry, Park’s pardon is aimed at overcoming past divisions and promoting national unity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic’s challenges.
According to the ministry, Park, who is 69 years old, is one of 3,094 people pardoned on December 31.
“By overcoming the pains of the past, we can enter a new era. Instead of fighting against each other and being preoccupied with the past, it’s time to boldly pull together all of our strengths for the future, “In a statement, President Moon Jae-in said.
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“In the case of former President Park, we took into account the fact that her health had deteriorated significantly after nearly five years in prison,” he explained.
After being removed from office due to a corruption scandal that sparked months of street protests, Park was arrested and sentenced to prison in 2017. Her demise was a stunning reversal of fortune for the country’s first female president and a conservative icon.
The Supreme Court of South Korea upheld her 20-year sentence in January. Because she was convicted of meddling in her party’s nominations ahead of the 2016 parliamentary elections, she faced a total sentence of 22 years in prison.
Park has stated that she is a victim of political retaliation. Since October 2017, she has refused to attend her trials.
Park is the daughter of Park Chung-hee, the late authoritarian president of South Korea. She was elected in late 2012 on a wave of conservative support, hailing her father as a hero who, despite his suppression of civil rights, lifted the country out of poverty.
In December 2016, lawmakers impeached her, and she was formally removed from office in March 2017 after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment.
While in office, she was accused of conspiring with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, of accepting millions of dollars in bribes and extortion money from some of the country’s largest corporations, including Samsung.
Moon Jae-in, a liberal, was elected in a special by-election after she was deposed.
Source: CTV News
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