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[Apha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Paul Lee] Ahead of Liberation Day on the 15th, a third special pardon is expected for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.
As politicians including former President Lee Myung-bak were mainly listed on the special pardon for the New Year, it is observed that the pardon may include a large number of businessmen.
According to legal circles on the 7th, the Ministry of Justice will hold a pardon review committee meeting at the Gwacheon Government Complex on the 9th to examine those requested for special pardons and lotteries for Liberation Day. The jury will be headed by Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon and will consist of a total of nine members. Last year, an amnesty was announced on the 12th, just before Liberation Day.
The special envoy for Liberation Day last year included a number of key economic figures, including then Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, focusing on economic recovery. Since then, only politicians have been included in this year's New Year's special envoy, which was the second special pardon for the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Therefore, it is expected that the special envoy will be dominated by businessmen again.
Among the most likely pardons this year are Booyoung Group founder Lee Joong-keun, Kumho Petrochemical Group Chairman Park Chan-koo and former Taekwang Group Chairman Lee Ho-jin. All of them have been consistently suggested as pardons in the business community.
Chairman Lee Joong-geun was released on parole in August of the following year after being sentenced to two and a half years in prison and fined 100 million won in 2020 on charges of breach of trust and embezzlement. Chairman Park Chan-koo was sentenced to three years in prison and five years of probation for breach of trust in 2018, while former chairman Lee Ho-jin was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzlement, six months in prison and two years of probation on tax evasion charges in 2019.
In addition, there is a possibility of a special pardon for Choi Ji-sung, former head of Samsung Electronics' Future Strategy Office, and Jang Choong-ki, former deputy head of the Future Strategy Office, who were involved in the Park Geun-hye administration's manipulation of state affairs in 2016. They were sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2021 for offering bribes to former President Park and Choi Seo-won (former Choi Soon-sil) before being released on parole in March last year.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
