President Moon Jae-in of South Korea announced on Friday that he will pardon Park Geun-hye, his primary conservative rival and predecessor, who is serving a lengthy jail sentence for bribery and other offences, according to AP.
The pardon, according to the South Korean president's liberal government, is intended to heal old wounds and create national solidarity in the face of the pandemic's challenges.
According to some commentators, Moon may desire to relieve a burden caused by Park's health issues, or perhaps exploit her to pide the opposition ahead of the March presidential elections.
"By overcoming the traumas of the past, we can progress into a new era." "Rather than battling against each other while being fixated with the past, it's time to boldly bring together all of our abilities for the future," Moon said in remarks posted by his office.
"In the instance of former President Park, we took into account the fact that her health had deteriorated significantly after nearly five years in prison," South Korea's president explained.
According to the South Korean Justice Ministry, Park, who is 69 years old, is one of 3,094 persons who will be pardoned on December 31.
Park has been receiving treatment in a civilian hospital since last month and will be discharged, according to the ministry.
Officials refused to comment on Park's health, but local media reported that she has a lumbar disc, a shoulder injury, dental issues, and is under a lot of stress.
Park thanked Moon for pardoning her in a statement posted by her lawyer, Yoo Young-ha, and stated that she will concentrate on treating her diseases. She stated that she intends to greet the people as soon as possible.
Park, the daughter of the assassinated ruler Park Chung-hee, was formerly South Korea's conservative idol. She became South Korea's first female president in late 2012, defeating Moon, then a unified liberal contender, by a million votes.
She was dubbed "the queen of elections" by local media. Park was spurred by conservatives who see her father as a hero who, despite massive civil rights violations, lifted the country out of postwar squalor.
In late 2016, parliament impeached her, and she was legally ousted from office and incarcerated the following year as a result of an explosive corruption scandal that sparked months of major public protests.
The Supreme Court of South Korea upheld her 20-year sentence in January. She could have spent a total of 22 years in prison if she hadn't been pardoned because she was convicted of tampering in her party's nominations ahead of parliamentary elections in 2016.
Park has stated that she is a victim of political retaliation. Since October 2017, she has refused to attend her trials.
While she was in government, she was accused of conspiring with her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to accept millions of dollars in bribes and extortion money from some of the country's top corporations, including Samsung.
Moon was elected president in an extraordinary presidential by-election while the conservatives were in disarray due to internal feuds over Park's removal.
After the March election, Moon's single five-year tenure will come to an end in May. Candidates from the ruling and conservative opposition parties are running neck and neck in recent polls.
It was unclear how Park's pardon would alter voter opinion right away. It may enrage liberals, but it also has the potential to revive opposition pisions, according to some experts.
"Even if the presidential Blue House has impure intents with the pardon of ex-President Park Geun-hye, it's something that we opposition forces should address," Kim Jae-won, a senior member of the People Power Party, posted on Facebook. "We are stronger when we are united, and we are weaker when we are separated."
Park's pardon has nothing to do with the presidential race, according to Moon's office.
"(Moon) may be accused of attempting to sway the next election, but releasing a predecessor from prison has precedent in Korean politics," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Seoul's Ewha University.
"This action is unlikely to influence their ideas or the public's opinion of them now that staunch conservative and progressive candidates are set for the March 2022 election," Easley added.
Almost all former presidents of South Korea, or their family members and important colleagues, have been embroiled in controversies near the end of their terms or after leaving office.
After an 18-year reign, Park's father was assassinated by his intelligence chief in 1979. Moon's buddy and former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide in 2009 when his family was being investigated for corruption.
Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, two more former presidents, were imprisoned but eventually pardoned. Both passed away this year.
Park's conservative predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, is currently serving a 17-year sentence in jail for corruption.
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