Business leaders given Liberation Day special pardons in S. Korea

From left, Park Chan-koo, the honorary chairman of Kumho Petrochemical Group, Lee Joong-keun, the founder of Booyoung Group, Lee Jang-han, chairman of Chong Kun Dang Group, Lee Ho-jin, former chairman of Taekwang Group, and Kim Tae-woo, former Gangseo District office chief. [Photo by Yonhap]

The South Korean government granted special presidential pardons to scores of major business leaders on Tuesday on the 78th Liberation Day which commemorates the end of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Among the beneficiaries were high-profile business leaders such as Lee Joong-keun, the founder of Booyoung Group; Park Chan-koo, the honorary chairman of Kumho Petrochemical Group; and Shin Young-ja, the former head of Lotte’s scholarship foundation.

The pardons followed the Cabinet’s approval of the third installment of presidential pardons issued by President Yoon Suk Yeol since he took office. The decision underscores the government’s initiative to mark Liberation Day with an emblem of conciliation and goodwill.

The government’s special pardons this year focused on the keywords, “economy” and “people’s livelihood,” and significantly increased the number of beneficiaries, including 12 major businessmen and 74 small and medium-sized businessmen and women, according to officials.

A total of 2,176 individuals, including the heads of major conglomerates, corporate executives, politicians, high-ranking public officials, and those with offenses related to livelihood, were granted special pardons as of Tuesday. Additionally, 821 exemplary prisoners were released on parole. In particular, 12 business figures were pardoned, including Kang Jeong-seok, former chairman of Dong-A Socio Holdings Co.; Kim Jung-soo, vice chairman at Samyang Foods Co.; Lee Ho-jin, former chairman of Taekwang Group; Lee Jang-han, chairman of Chong Kun Dang Group; and Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) who is also chairman of J.Estina.

On the other hand, only seven politicians and public officials and six defense ministry-related officials were pardoned. Former Gangseo District office chief Kim Tae-woo who revealed allegations regarding the misconduct of the previous Moon Jae-in administration’s Blue House special inspection team was pardoned only three months after his sentence was finalized. Kim announced his intention to run for the head of Gangseo District Office in the upcoming by-election in October.

Moreover, the number of special commutations for administrative sanctions on various livelihood-related crimes increased significantly, including on driver’s licenses involving 808,816 individuals and workers in the fishing industry (558 individuals), information and communication businesses (3,303 individuals), and software industry (92 individuals).

Meanwhile, as opposed to the previous two special pardons where Yoon had convened an extraordinary cabinet meeting and made the decision himself, this time, the decision was made after receiving opinions from Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.