South Korean Cabinet to hold extraordinary meeting on Monday to decide on pardon for ex-Justice Minister

Seoul, Aug 10 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will preside over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting early this week to determine special pardons, his office said Sunday, amid growing speculation that he may grant a presidential pardon to former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

The Cabinet meeting will take place at 2,30 p.m. on Monday, with the review and potential approval of matters related to special pardons, reinstatements and other considerations for clemency expected to be the focus, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a message to reporters.

It is widely expected that Lee will make a decision on whether to grant a presidential pardon to Cho, who launched the minor Rebuilding Korea Party ahead of the general elections in April last year, Yonhap news agency reported.

Cho has reportedly been included on the potential list of beneficiaries of presidential pardons, raising the possibility of his early release from prison.

He is currently serving a two-year prison term following a conviction on academic fraud charges involving his children and unlawful interference with a government inspection.

Presidents usually grant special pardons to mark major national holidays, including Liberation Day on Aug 15, the anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's colonial rule (1910–45).

On August 7, according to legal sources, a Justice Ministry committee held a meeting and decided to include Cho on the special pardon list, which was expected to be finalised and approved at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday.

Former lawmaker Choe Kang-wook was also included, sources added. He was sentenced in 2023 to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of business obstruction for issuing a false internship certificate for Cho's son in 2017 while he was working as a lawyer at a law firm.

Considering that the list is formed based on talks between the presidential office and the ministry, it would be highly unlikely for the committee to exclude Cho from the finalised list.

--IANS

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