South Korean president pardons imprisoned predecessor

South Korean President Moon Jae-in issued a special pardon on Thursday for his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who was impeached and sentenced to 22 years in prison for corruption in 2018.

The Yonhap News Agency (YNA) reported that the decision to pardon Park had to do with her deteriorating health. Chronic shoulder and lower back pain caused Park, 69, to be hospitalized three times this year. She received shoulder surgery in 2019.

Park, the first female president elected in South Korea, was impeached in 2016 after she was accused of sharing confidential state information. Choi Soon-sil, an associate of Park’s, was ultimately charged for using her connections to Park to collect millions in donations for foundations and businesses she operated. 

Park was given a lengthy prison term in 2018 after she was convicted on 16 charges, including bribery, coercion and abuse of power. Apart from being a former president, Park was also once South Korea’s de facto first lady when her father, military dictator Park Chung-hee, was in power, as her mother was killed by a would-be presidential assassin.

The YNA noted that Moon’s decision to pardon Park, who voters in some parts of South Korea still support, will likely have a significant effect on Moon’s reelection chances.

The South Korean government said the decision was made in an effort to move past “the unfortunate history of the past and achieving a grand unity among the people” in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the YNA.