Former South Korea president released from prison after corruption conviction pardoned

Park Geun-hye had served nearly five years of a 20-year prison sentence over a scandal that also led to the imprisonment of the chiefs of two conglomerates, Samsung and Lotte.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was released from prison on Friday nearly five years after being convicted of corruption, fuelling debate over whether she would play any role ahead of a March presidential election.

Park, 69, was the country’s first democratically elected leader to be thrown out of office when the Constitutional Court upheld a parliament vote in 2017 to impeach her over a scandal that also led to the imprisonment of the chiefs of two conglomerates, Samsung and Lotte.

South Korea’s top court in January upheld a 20-year prison sentence imposed after Park was found guilty of colluding with a friend, who is also in jail, to receive tens of billions of won from the companies, mostly to fund her friend’s family and non-profit foundations.

President Moon Jae-in granted a special pardon to Park last week, citing her deteriorating health and expressing hope to “overcome unfortunate past history and promote national unity”.

Broadcasters showed Park leaving a Seoul hospital, where she had stayed since last month for medical treatment, after correction officials delivered a letter of pardon at midnight.

She did not comment but her lawyer has said Park, the daughter of a former military ruler, had offered an apology for causing public concern and thanked Moon for making a “tough decision”.

Park’s release comes as her old party, the main opposition conservative People Power Party, and Moon’s Democratic Party are in a tight presidential race.

Her imprisonment divided the country, with right-wing, pro-Park groups staging weekly rallies to denounce Moon and his policies and call for Park’s release, until COVID-19 distancing rules stifled the rallies last year.