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The second special pardon was carried out under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

A total of 1,373 people, including 1,274 election-related people, are mostly politicians and public officials.

Former President Lee Myung-bak, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison, was exempted from the remaining 15 years of his sentence and reinstated, and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Gyeong-soo was exempted from the remaining five months of his sentence without reinstatement.

During the Park Geun-hye administration, such as Kim Ki-chun, Choi Gyeong-hwan, and Woo Byung-woo, many people involved in the so-called 'Gukjeong Nongdan' case were also reinstated if they were pardoned.

The government put forward 'national unity' as the justification, but in the legal world, it is pointed out that it is not an unprincipled pardon for politicians.



This is reporter Park Chan-geun.



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Former President Lee Myung-bak was exempted from the remaining sentence as well as 8.19 billion won of the total fine of 13 billion won that had not yet been paid.



The Ministry of Justice said that it considered the special status of a former president, but it is difficult to find a case of a politician who was pardoned even after failing to pay the fine, except for former President Park Geun-hye, who had a fine of 14.9 billion won.



A large number of those involved in the so-called'Gukjeong Nongdan' case, which President Yoon Seok-yeol investigated as a prosecutor, were also pardoned.



Former presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-chun, who illegally supported conservative groups, former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Kyung-hwan and former President Park's 'doorknocker trio' who received NIS special activity expenses as bribes.



The government said it was a measure to 'unify the people', but



[Han Dong-hoon/Minister of Justice: 66 key public officials who were judged by the law for committing illegal acts according to wrong practices in their duties were given an opportunity to contribute to national development again.]



Criticism for undermining the rule of law continued.



[Lee Joo-hee/Deputy Secretary-General Minbyun: Even the criminals who destroyed the constitutional order were exonerated.

It is very doubtful whether this is in line with the rule of law or laws and principles that President Yoon refers to.]



Regarding the pardon without a lottery by former South Gyeongsang Governor Kim Gyeong-soo, who said, 'I refuse to pardon the bridesmaid', the Democratic Party even came up with the expression 'disastrous', but the conservative camp Criticism was raised that "amnesty is inappropriate for a person who has damaged democracy with the Druking case and denied the Supreme Court ruling."



[In Ji-yeon / Chairman of Public Relations Committee Hanbyun: If pardon is granted to criminals who do not know the slightest remorse, I think it will remain forever as a stain that obliterates the purpose of the amnesty system.]



Deputy Director Kim Tae-hyo of the National Security Office, who is considered a key adviser to President Yoon, It was pointed out that the fact that he was pardoned after two months of being convicted of 'Leaking Military Secret Documents' was also to protect his family.



(Video coverage: Seol Min-hwan, video editing: Won-yang Won, CG: Lee Jun-ho)