[News Today] POLITICAL HEAVYWEIGHTS PARDONED

[LEAD]
The government issued special pardons for Liberation Day. Former Gyeongsangnam-do Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo, convicted in the political online comment manipulation scandal and ex-Culture Minister Cho Yoon-sun, involved in an arts blacklist scandal, were pardoned. The government stated these pardons aim to resolve political conflicts and foster national unity.

[REPORT]
President Yoon Suk Yeol granted special pardons to 1,219 people for Liberation Day.

Former Gyeongsangnam-do Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo has been included in the special pardon list. He was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2021 for manipulating online comments with the so-called "Druking" group leading up to the 2017 presidential election.

Kim was pardoned in December 2022, but his right to run for public office was restricted until 2027. With this reinstatement, he is now eligible to run for an elected position.

A justice ministry official explained that Kim's reinstatement was based on the circumstances of the crime and considerations of fairness with similar cases.

Former senior presidential secretary forpolitical affairs Cho Yoon-sun was also pardoned and reinstated. She was sentenced to 14 months in prison for blacklisting artists critical of the government and keeping them from receiving government subsidies.

The list also includes 17 former high-ranking government officials and 29 politicians from the ruling and opposition camps. Notable names include former National Intelligence Service chief Won Sei-hoon, ex-presidential aides Ahn Jong-beom and Hyun Ki-hwan and ex-National Police Agency chief Cho Hyun-oh, all of whom were convicted in high-profile cases.

Park Sung-jae/ Justice Minister
The pardon was granted across party lines to resolve political conflicts and benefit the nation.

Fifteen business leaders, such as former EcoPro CEO Lee Dong-chae are also on the list. Some 410,000 truck drivers and offenders subjected to admistrative restrictions were also pardoned or had their sentences commuted.

The special pardon takes effect from midnight on Thursday.