Former President Lee Expected to Receive a Pardon Later this Month
It looks like President Yoon is about to follow through on one of his campaign promises:
Former President Lee Myung-bak is expected to receive a special pardon later this year as part of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s second round of special pardons.
Korea Times
According to the presidential office, Yoon is expected to grant special pardons at the end of the year. The presidential pardons are likely to be granted on December 28.
The former president is serving a 17-year prison sentence for embezzlement and bribery. Lee, who governed the country from 2008 to 2013, was charged with 16 criminal allegations in 2018 and sentenced in 2020.
Currently, Lee is out of prison, having been granted a temporary suspension of his sentence due to health issues. He initially filed the request for a three-month temporary suspension in June and then requested an extension for another three months in September. His suspension is set to expire on Dec. 28 at midnight.
The Ministry of Justice will review the beneficiaries of the pardon on Dec. 20 and the government is expected to announce the official list on Dec. 27 after a Cabinet meeting.
You can read more at the link.
Seems like Lee was the least corrupt President South Korea ever had. I really do not understand the trend of arresting and incarcerating every President as if South Korea was a banana republic.
OTOH, it is the national pastime.