South Korea pardons ex President Park Geun hye ousted in massive

South Korea will pardon convicted former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office after massive protests over a far-reaching influence-peddling scandal and sentenced to 22 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, the government announced Friday. President Moon Jae-in, who was elected after Park’s impeachment in 2017, said the pardon was being issued to “stop fighting buried in the past” and to shore up “national unity” in the face of challenges ahead. He said Park’s deteriorating health from nearly five years in prison was taken into consideration. She will be released Dec. 31. Park, 69, has been an abiding icon for conservative opposition protesters who contend that her ouster and imprisonment were politically motivated, despite her conviction being upheld by the nation’s highest court. She is the daughter of the late dictator Park Chung-hee, a controversial military strongman who ruled South Korea for nearly two decades. She has been hospitalized since late last month, suffering from shoulder pain, spinal disk issues and mental health problems, according to her representatives. She has been behind bars for four years and nine months. Park’s impeachment, which marked the first time a South Korean president was legally removed from office, came after months of large-scale peaceful protests in 2016 and 2017 in which more than a million citizens filled the streets holding candles and demanding her removal, at times in frigid temperatures. The wide-ranging scandal revealed that Park and a close confidant received millions in bribes from some of the nation’s wealthiest conglomerates, including Samsung, in exchange for favorable government decisions. The “candlelight movement, ” as the protests came to be known, marked a watershed moment for the country’s still-young democracy. Samsung’s third-generation scion Lee Jae-yong was also convicted of bribery and other charges for payments steered to foundations controlled by Park’s confidant, Choi Soon-sil, in exchange for government decisions that would help smooth his succession as de facto head of the storied conglomerate. Moon and his political allies had previously dismissed the possibility of a pardon, citing national sentiment and Park’s apparent lack of remorse. Despite issuing apologies while she was still in office, she has struck a defiant tone during her incarceration. This month, a collection of her letters to supporters is scheduled to be published, including allegations that others had “unloaded their baggage onto me. ”“Falsehood may briefly block people’s eyes and cover their ears and deceive the world, but in time, truth will reveal itself, ” she wrote, according to excerpts quoted in the local media. An attorney for Park on Friday told reporters gathered at her hospital that she apologized for “causing the people worry, ” and that she would focus on improving her health. Park is one of 3, 094 people being pardoned in time for the new year.


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