US President Barack Obama will host his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye in the White House on October 16 to discuss bilateral and global issues, the White House announced Wednesday.
Advertisement
The total number of beneficiaries stood at 6,527 people, including Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Hyun-chung.
Seoul’s justice ministry insisted that most of the pardons were offered to ordinary convicts – but it remains questionable whether the move will indeed “boost people’s spirits”, other than those directly benefiting.
The pardons are part of celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule.
South Korea’s business community hailed Park’s decision, pledging to support the government’s drive to revitalize the economy. The president has rarely used her right to give clemency ahead of the national holidays, stressing her principle that the law should be administered strictly and all criminal offenders treated equally.
The South Korean presidential office on Thursday said that Park and Obama would hold their fourth summit at the invitation of the latter, Xinhua reported.
Park has granted special pardons once so far, and only for minor crimes committed by those living in poverty on Lunar New Year’s Day last year. Listed on the memo are the names of eight heavyweight politicians close to Park.
Advertisement
Mr Chey, 54, has served 31 months out of his 48-month prison sentence for embezzling 46.5 billion won (S$60.9 million) from two SK Group affiliates and funnelling the funds into personal investments in stock futures and options in 2008. The sentence was suspended for five years, saving him from serving a jail term.
