Ex-Minor Party Head Cho Kuk named on Liberation Day's clemency list, according to insider reports
South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung has announced a list of individuals who will receive presidential pardons, a move that has sparked controversy and debate. The potential beneficiaries of the pardons include politicians, labor union members, and public officials who were convicted on various charges.
Among the individuals on the list is Cho Kuk, the former head of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party. Cho was convicted on allegations including academic corruption related to his children. His wife, Chung Kyung-sim, was also pardoned, having been convicted alongside him.
Yoon Mee-hyang, a former Democratic Party lawmaker, is also on the list. She was convicted of embezzling funds collected for victims of the Japanese military comfort women. Youn Kun-young and Baek Won-woo, former Democratic Party lawmakers aligned with the pro-Moon Jae-in faction, are also included.
Cho Hee-yeon, the former Seoul Education Superintendent, is also on the list. He was convicted of illegally hiring dismissed teachers from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU). Several opposition figures such as Hong Moon-jong, Jung Chan-min, and Sim Hak-bong, who were convicted for bribery and embezzlement, are also on the list.
Other public figures involved in controversies, such as former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung, former presidential aides Baek Won-woo and Shin Mi-sook, and former Seongnam Mayor Eun Su-mi (linked to criminal gangs), are also pardoned. Labor movement figures, including members of construction workers' and truckers' unions who staged strikes under the previous administration, were granted clemency.
The charges these individuals faced primarily include corruption, embezzlement, academic fraud, abuse of power, preferential hiring, and financial crimes. The pardons have been criticized for potentially enabling controversial political comebacks and being used as political gestures, especially since many beneficiaries supported President Lee Jae-myung in his election.
The pardons will take effect on August 15, 2025, National Liberation Day, and restore the legal rights of the individuals involved, allowing them to participate again in political activities, including candidacies in upcoming elections.
The pardons are among the president's inherent powers, aimed at rewarding good behavior and fostering national harmony. Cho Kuk, currently serving a two-year prison term for academic fraud and unlawful interference with a government inspection, is among those set to benefit from the pardons. The Supreme Court upheld Cho Kuk's conviction in December.
Cho Hee-yeon, who lost his seat as superintendent last year due to a suspended term against him on charges of abuse of power, has also been included on the special pardon list. The list is formed based on talks between the presidential office and the ministry.
Former Gyeonggi Province Vice Gov. Lee Hwa-young, convicted of accepting bribes and involvement in an unauthorized remittance case to North Korea, was excluded from the list. The special pardons are the first under President Lee Jae Myung since he took office in June.
The finalization and approval of the list are expected at a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday. It is highly unlikely for Cho Kuk to be excluded from the finalized list. Cho Kuk served as a senior aide to former President Moon Jae-in and a justice minister in 2019.
Special pardons have often been granted to convicted politicians, business executives, and other offenders at the start of a new year or around Liberation Day. Former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk has been included on a list of potential beneficiaries for presidential pardons.
- The controversial decision to grant presidential pardons in South Korea has sparked debate, with individuals from various sectors such as policy-and-legislation (Cho Kuk, former Rebuilding Korea Party leader, and Yoon Mee-hyang, former Democratic Party lawmaker) and crime-and-justice (Cho Hee-yeon, former Seoul Education Superintendent, who was convicted of illegally hiring dismissed teachers) on the list.
- The general-news scene in South Korea has been abuzz with discussions regarding the potential political comebacks of individuals such as Cho Kuk and Cho Hee-yeon, who faced charges for corruption, embezzlement, academic fraud, and abuse of power, following their inclusion in the list of individuals receiving presidential pardons, set to take effect on August 15, 2025.
