Former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk, his wife Jeong Kyung-shim, and former lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang will receive special pardons. Former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook, who was involved in the child admission bribery case concerning Cho, is also included in the special pardon.
On the 11th, the government announced the '80th Anniversary of Liberation Day Special Pardon.' This special pardon, the first pardon of the Lee Jae-myung administration, will be implemented as of the 15th.
Former leader Cho Kuk will receive a sentence reduction and reinstatement. His wife, Jeong Kyung-shim, has also been made eligible for sentence cancellation and reinstatement.
Former lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang will also receive sentence cancellation and reinstatement. Yoon was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation by the Supreme Court for charges including embezzlement of funds meant for victims of Japanese military sexual slavery.
◇ Most individuals linked to the Moon Jae-in government's 'admission bribery and White House inspection cover-up' receive special pardons
Former leader Cho is serving a 2-year prison sentence for charges of child admission bribery and White House inspection cover-up. His wife, Jeong, received a 1-year sentence with 2 years of probation for child admission bribery.
Former lawmaker Choi Kang-wook has also been made eligible for sentence cancellation and reinstatement. Choi was sentenced to 8 months in prison with 2 years of probation for providing a false internship confirmation to Cho's son, losing his position as a lawmaker. Noh Hwan-jung, the former director of Busan Medical Center, who was charged with offering bribes under the guise of scholarship funds to Cho's daughter, was also reinstated. Noh received a fine of 10 million won.
This special pardon includes many individuals from the Moon Jae-in administration. Baek Won-woo, former chief civil affairs secretary to the president, who was sentenced to 10 months in prison for involvement in covering up inspection related to Cho, has been made eligible for sentence cancellation and reinstatement. Former Minister of Environment Kim Eun-kyung and former balancing personnel secretary Shin Mi-sook, who were found guilty in the 'Ministry of Environment blacklist' incident, are also eligible for reinstatement.
Additionally, former Vice Minister Lee Yong-gu, who received a 6-month prison sentence with 2 years of probation for the 'attack on a taxi driver' incident, is also eligible for sentence cancellation and reinstatement. Yoon Geon-young, a lawmaker who served as the head of the National Situation Room in the Office of the President during the Moon Jae-in administration, has also been reinstated. Yoon was fined 5 million won in June for the charge of registering a false intern in the congressional office to receive salary (fraud).
◇ Close aide of President Lee, Eun Soo-mi, also reinstated... pardon for opposition members such as Hong Moon-jong and Jeong Chan-min
Eun Soo-mi, the former mayor of Seongnam city and a successor to President Lee, has also been reinstated. Eun was sentenced to 2 years in prison and fined 10 million won for violating campaign finance laws in 2023. After receiving a fine of more than 1 million won, Eun was barred from running for office for 5 years, but she can now run again following her reinstatement.
Former Director General Hwang Hee-seok, who is currently serving as a specialist at the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning in the Lee Jae-myung administration, has also been reinstated. Hwang received a fine of 5 million won for stating that 'Han Dong-hoon, former representative of the People Power Party, had examined all transaction records of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation when he was the head of the anti-corruption and powerful crime division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in 2019.'
On the other hand, in the opposition, former lawmaker Hong Moon-jong, former lawmaker Jeong Chan-min, and former lawmaker Ha Young-je were made eligible for sentence cancellation and reinstatement. Additionally, Moon Hyung-pyo, former Minister of Health and Welfare, and Hong Wan-seon, former head of the National Pension Service's fund management headquarters, who were implicated in the 'Choi Soon-sil National Duty Manipulation Incident' during the Park Geun-hye administration, were also reinstated. The two were charged with pressuring the National Pension Service in 2015 to support the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries under the direction of the Blue House. Both received sentences of 2 years and 6 months in 2022 and are now released.
Meanwhile, former Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon has also been made eligible for sentence cancellation and reinstatement. Cho lost his position as superintendent after receiving a 1-year and 6-month prison sentence with 2 years of probation for abusing his power in hiring five dismissed teachers from October to December 2018.