Former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyeong-soo, who was sentenced to two years in prison for the ‘Drew King comment manipulation’ incident, was reinstated through a special pardon on August 15, Liberation Day. As a result, former Governor Kim will be able to run in the 2026 local elections and the 2027 presidential election.
Minister of Justice Park Sung-jae held a briefing at the government complex in Seoul right after the State Council meeting on the 13th and announced the recipients of special pardons, reinstatement of civil rights, and commutations of sentences for Liberation Day. A total of 1,219 people were included, including former major public officials, politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, businesspeople, small business owners, small business owners, youth, and drivers who committed crimes related to the common people’s livelihood. This special pardon is the fifth since the Yoon Seok-yeol administration took office.
Former Governor Kim, who was included in the pardon target, was released from prison with a special New Year’s pardon in December 2022, exempting him from serving his remaining five-month sentence, but his reinstatement has not yet taken place. Originally, according to the Public Official Election Act and the Act on the Effectiveness of Criminal Procedure, former Governor Kim was not allowed to run for election until December 2027. However, with this reinstatement, his eligibility restrictions have been lifted.
Former Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Cho Yoon-sun, who was convicted in the “cultural blacklist” case during the Park Geun-hye administration, has had her sentence nullified and her civil rights restored. Former Secretary Cho was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison in the retrial of the cultural blacklist case, and gave up her appeal last year, so her sentence was finalized. However, she served her entire sentence while in custody, making her eligible for reinstatement.
Former Senior Secretary to the President for Political Affairs Hyun Ki-hwan, who was involved in the “whitelist” incident that illegally supported conservative groups during the Park Geun-hye administration, and former Senior Secretary to the President for Policy Coordination Ahn Jong-beom, who forced large corporations to donate to the Mir and K-Sports Foundations, were also reinstated.
Former National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Won Se-hoon was pardoned and reinstated. Won was sentenced to 14 years and 2 months in prison for the NIS comment manipulation scandal during the Lee Myung-bak administration, but was paroled at the end of 2022 after receiving a reduced sentence. Former National Police Agency Commissioner General Cho Hyun-oh was reinstated, and former National Police Agency Commissioners General Kang Shin-myeong and Lee Cheol-seong were reinstated after their sentences were revoked.
In addition, former lawmakers Won Yoo-chul, Yeom Dong-yeol, Park Sang-eun, and Kwon Oh-eul were reinstated from the ruling party, and from the opposition party, former lawmakers Shin Hak-yong and Hwang Ju-hong, former South Jeolla Province Governor Park Jun-young, and former Daejeon Mayor Kwon Seon-taek were reinstated.
The Ministry of Justice said, “By pardoning key public officials, including politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, who were punished for wrongdoings in the course of carrying out state affairs but devoted themselves to the country and society as long-term public officials, we have created an opportunity for unity and harmony that transcends politics and ideology.”
Among businessmen, former EcoPro Chairman Lee Dong-chae, who was sentenced to two years in prison for violating the Capital Market Act in August last year, was named as a special pardon recipient. However, former Samsung Electronics Future Strategy Office Director Choi Ji-sung and former Future Strategy Office Deputy Director Jang Choong-ki were excluded from this year’s reinstatement.
The government also decided to grant special pardons to a total of 417,260 people subject to administrative sanctions, including those in the passenger and cargo transport industry, livelihood fishing, and driver’s license industries, and to parole 1,135 model prisoners on the 14th.
Kim So-young, Donga.com reporter [email protected]
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2024-08-14 06:24:00