The Ministry of Justice's pardon review committee confirmed on the 7th that it had decided to recommend a special pardon for former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, his wife former professor Jeong Kyung-shim, former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, and former Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon to President Lee Jae-myung. It is reported that among the business leaders included is Chey Shinwon, former chairman of SK Networks. If President Lee accepts the recommendation, they could be released after going through deliberation by the cabinet meeting and would not have to serve the remainder of their sentences.
According to legal circles, the pardon review committee conducted a review of candidates for the special pardon on Liberation Day at the Government Complex Gwacheon in the afternoon. The committee consists of three internal members from the Ministry of Justice and the prosecution, including Minister Jeong Seong-ho and Vice Minister Lee Jin-soo, along with four or more external members.
The pardon review committee decided to recommend a pardon for former leader Cho Kuk, former professor Jeong Kyung-shim, former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, former superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, and among former lawmakers from the People Power Party, Jung Chang-min, Hong Mun-jong, and Sim Hak-bong, as well as Chey Shinwon, former chairman of SK Networks from the business community. On the other hand, Lee Hwa-young, the former Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in prison by the Supreme Court in May for being involved in the 'illegal remittance to North Korea case', was reportedly excluded from the recommendation.
Former leader Cho Kuk was sentenced to 2 years in prison by the Supreme Court last December on charges of entrance exam corruption involving his children. He has been incarcerated for about 7 months, having served approximately 30% of his sentence. One third of the total sentence must be served to be eligible for a pardon review.
Former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook was indicted in October 2017 for allegedly issuing a false internship confirmation for Cho Won, son of then-Minister Cho Kuk. He was also found guilty of obstructing work at a graduate school, receiving an 8-month prison sentence with a 2-year probation upheld by the Supreme Court in September 2023.
Former superintendent Cho Hee-yeon was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation by the Supreme Court last August due to suspicions surrounding the special hiring of dismissed teachers from the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA). He is accused of forcing the special hiring of five retired teachers from KFTA from 2017 to 2018.
Former lawmaker Jung Chang-min was sentenced to 7 years in prison last January on charges of bribery during his time as the mayor of Yongin. He is accused of having facilitated the acquisition of land at lower than market prices for family and friends in exchange for providing permits to real estate developers between 2014 and 2018, as well as having received the registration tax as a loan.
Former lawmaker Hong Mun-jong was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison in December 2022 on charges of bribery, embezzlement, and breach of trust. During his tenure as chair of the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee from 2013 to 2015, he allegedly received bribes worth 82 million won from IT industry officials in exchange for legislative favors.
Former lawmaker Sim Hak-bong was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison in March 2017 on charges including bribery. While serving as a lawmaker in 2013, he allegedly received 27.7 million won for helping a manufacturing company in North Gyeongsang Province to be selected as a target for a government small business development project, as well as an additional 70 million won for assisting in being selected for another government project.
Among the business leaders included is Chey Shinwon, former chairman of SK Networks. Chey is the second son of the late Chey Jong-gun, the founder of SK Group, and a cousin of Chey Tae-won, current chairman of SK Group. Chey was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in May due to verdicts on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust, having been found guilty of borrowing 15.5 billion won from affiliate funds to promote a personal golf course business.