Former S Korean President Park to be released from prison early

dpa Seoul President Park Geun Hye, convicted of corruption, will be released from prison early as part of an amnesty, the president’s office in Seoul sai...

dpa Seoul President Park Geun Hye, convicted of corruption, will be released from prison early as part of an amnesty, the president’s office in Seoul said on Friday.The daughter of military dictator Park Chung Hee, Park was embroiled in a scandal during her time in office that sparked months of street protests.In 2017 it led to her impeachment by the Constitutional Court. Park was later arrested and charged with abuse of power, corruption and other charges.The conservative politician is currently serving a total of 22 years in prison.The 69-year-old was on a list of 3,094 convicted offenders for whom the Justice Department announced an amnesty on Friday.Park, who is currently hospitalised, is set to be officially released before the end of the year.The amnesty and the pardon for Park are to serve national unity and harmony as well as mark “the beginning of a new era,” President Moon Jae In’s office said in a statement.She thanked Moon and the relevant authorities for the pardon, Park said through her lawyer. She also apologized to the people for causing unrest.Park’s predecessor Lee Myung Bak is also serving a long prison sentence for corruption. Unlike Park, however, he was not on the amnesty list.The ruling Democratic Party had repeatedly brought up the possibility of a pardon for both ex-heads of state. But pardoning both proved to be unpopular with the public.The amnesty comes about three months before the next presidential election in South Korea. Moon cannot be re-elected after serving a five-year term.In January, South Korea’s top court had upheld Park’s prison sentence for abuse of power and other crimes, ending a long-running legal battle.Park was accused of allowing her close friend Choi Soon Sil too much access to government business - Choi held no official post - and of helping her friend to extort money from top companies including Samsung.Then 69-year-old’s ailing health was taken into consideration as part of the amnesty deliberations.Park has been hospitalized three times this year due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain, South Korea’s news agency Yonhap reported. She was hospitalized in 2019 for shoulder surgery.