South Korea's Moon pardons former President Park Geun-hye

Nation has a history of punishing and pardoning former presidents

20211224 Park Geun-hye

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrives at a court in Seoul in May 2017. © Reuters

KIM JAEWON, Nikkei staff writer

SEOUL -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday pardoned his disgraced predecessor Park Geun-hye for the sake of national "harmony," just months before a presidential election in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.

Park has been in prison since 2017 after receiving a 22-year sentence for crimes including taking bribes from Samsung and other conglomerates through her lifelong friend Choi Soon-sil. Park will be released from jail next week.

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