Seoul: Former minor party leader Cho Kuk has been included on a list of potential beneficiaries of presidential pardons to be announced ahead of Liberation Day next week, raising the possibility of his early release from prison. Cho, who had led the Rebuilding Korea Party, is currently serving a two-year prison term after the Supreme Court in December upheld his conviction for academic fraud involving his children and unlawful interference with a government inspection.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a justice ministry committee held a meeting earlier in the day and decided to include Cho on the special pardon list, which is expected to be finalized and approved at a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The list is formed based on discussions between the presidential office and the ministry, making it highly unlikely for the committee to exclude Cho from the finalized list.
Moon Jae-in, the former president, called for Cho's pardon during a meeting with Woo Sang-ho, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, on Tuesday. Other high-profile figures being considered for next week's pardons include Cho Hee-yeon, former superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, who lost his seat last year after the Supreme Court upheld a suspended term against him for abuse of power.
Legal sources confirmed Cho has been included on the special pardon list reviewed by the justice ministry's pardon committee. Also on the list are former lawmakers Jung Chan-min, serving a seven-year prison term for bribery, and Hong Moon-jong, convicted of embezzlement and bribery.
Former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young, who was convicted of accepting bribes from underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group and involvement in an unauthorized remittance case to North Korea, was notably excluded from the list. Special pardons, which are among the president's inherent powers, have often been granted to convicted politicians, business executives, and other offenders to reward good behavior and foster national harmony.