Dec 23, 2021 - World

South Korean government to pardon former president

Axios

South Korean ousted leader Park Geun-hye outside court in Seoul in August 2017. Photo: Kim Hong-Ji/AFP via Getty Images

The South Korean government will pardon imprisoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was convicted of corruption in 2018, per Bloomberg.

Why it matters: Park, 69, was the first South Korean leader to be impeached and removed from office.

President Moon Jae-in's Justice Ministry said in a statement on Friday morning local time that Park would be released from prison on Dec. 31 to achieve "reconciliation and consolidate national power to help overcome the national crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," the New York Times reports.

The big picture: The daughter of former military dictator Park Chung-hee originally received a 24-year prison sentence for bribery, coercion and abuse of power, but South Korea's Supreme Court cut the term to 20 years last January, the NYT notes.

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South Korean government to pardon former president

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