S.Korean President Lee pardons former Justice Minister Cho
The pardons announced on Monday will take effect on August 15, the anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule.
Former minister Cho Kuk was sentenced last December to two years in prison for charges including academic fraud.
He served as justice minister in 2019 under the administration of President Moon Jae-in, but resigned over a series of scandals involving his relatives.
Cho headed the liberal Rebuilding Korea Party last year and was a vocal critic of the previous Yoon Suk-yeol government.
Speculation is mounting over whether he will stage a political comeback.
Also pardoned is Youn Mee-hyang, the former head of a civic group supporting those referred to as wartime comfort women. She received a suspended sentence last November for misappropriating donations, among other charges.
The pardons have drawn criticism from the main opposition party, which says they represent a collapse of the rule of law.
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