Impeached And Imprisoned For Corruption, Former President Park Geun-hye Pardoned President Moon Jae-in

South Korean President Moon Jae-in. (Wikimedia Commons/Korea.net)

JAKARTA - South Korean President Moon Jae-in pardoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was jailed after being found guilty of corruption, the justice ministry said on Friday, amid a tight presidential election.

Park, 69, became the first democratically elected South Korean leader to be ousted from office when the Constitutional Court upheld a parliamentary vote in 2017 to impeach him over a scandal that has also left the heads of two conglomerates, including Samsung, in jail.

He was dropped after being found guilty of colluding with a friend to receive tens of billions of won from a large conglomerate, mostly to fund his family, friends and non-profit foundations.

In January, South Korea's top court upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Park on corruption charges that ended his fall, marking the end of legal proceedings.

President Moon's office said the decision to pardon Park was meant to "overcome the unfortunate past history, promote people's unity and join hands for the future."

"I hope this will provide an opportunity to transcend differences of opinion and pros and cons, and open a new era of integration and unity," his spokesman quoted him as saying.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye. (Wikimedia Commons/대한민국 Republic of Korea Armed Forces)

President Moon previously promised not to pardon those convicted of corruption. However, many supporters and politicians from the main conservative opposition party People Power have called for Park's pardon ahead of the March presidential election, citing his deteriorating health and deepening political strife.

Opposition lawmakers said Park had developed health problems while in prison, including undergoing shoulder surgery.

Park's imprisonment has become a political hot spot that has divided the country, with conservatives holding weekly demonstrations in downtown Seoul urging his release and criticizing Moon until the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.

A poll by Gallup Korea in November showed 48 percent of respondents opposed Park and Lee's pardon, but the number has dropped from about 60 percent earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Moon's ruling Democratic Party flag bearer, Lee Jae-myung, and People Power candidate Yoon Suk-yeol were seen competing fiercely in the recent polls.

Lee said he understood Moon's "suffering" and respected his decision for national unity, but Park had to offer a sincere apology for the scandal.

Yoon said Park's pardon was welcome despite the delay, but did not elaborate on reporters' questions about whether he could potentially restart political activity.

To note, Park's predecessor, who also belonged to Lee Myung-bak's conservative group, was also jailed on corruption charges and was not pardoned.