Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung will preside over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting early this week to determine special pardons, his office said Sunday, amid growing speculation that he may grant a presidential pardon to former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. The Cabinet meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, with the review and potential approval of matters related to special pardons, reinstatements, and other considerations for clemency expected to be the focus, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a message to reporters.
According to Yonhap News Agency, it is widely expected that Lee will make a decision on whether to grant a presidential pardon to Cho, who launched the minor Rebuilding Korea Party ahead of the general elections in April last year. Cho has reportedly been included on the potential list of beneficiaries of presidential pardons, raising the possibility of his early release from prison.
Cho is currently serving a two-year prison term following a conviction on academic fraud charges involving his children and unlawful interference with a government inspection. Presidents usually grant special pardons to mark major national holidays, including Liberation Day on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.