The South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol decided Tuesday to pardon former President Lee Myung Bak for corruption, sparing him the 15 years remaining on his prison sentence.
Justice Minister Han Dong Hoon said the 81-year-old, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, will be given an amnesty on Wednesday from the "broad perspective" of uniting South Koreans.
Lee's sentence has already been suspended since June after his health deteriorated, and he was temporarily released from prison.
The special pardon granted by Yoon's conservative government to the similarly conservative former president has drawn criticism from progressives in the opposition.
Lee was arrested in 2018 under the government of progressive President Moon Jae In. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for receiving over 8 billion won in bribes, including from Samsung Electronics Co., and embezzling about 24.6 billion won from an automobile parts company he secretly owned.
An appeals court in 2020 added two more years to his original sentence, determining that the former president had accepted larger amounts of bribes and embezzled more. The longer sentence was finalized by the Supreme Court in the same year.
Lee was largely expected to be granted a special pardon in August in commemoration of the nation's Liberation Day, but that did not happen amid strong opposition from the public.
Lee rose to power after serving as president of Hyundai Construction and mayor of the capital city Seoul. In Japan, he is known as the first serving president to set foot on a South Korean-held, Japan-claimed pair of islets in the Sea of Japan in 2012. His action soured bilateral ties.
A total of 1,373 people including Lee, will receive special pardons, according to the Justice Ministry.
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