Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was released from prison on Friday, nearly five years after she was convicted of corruption, sparking a debate over whether she will play a role before the March 2022 presidential election, Reuters reports.
Park, 69, was the first democratically elected leader in the country to be removed when the Constitutional Court upheld a 2017 parliamentary vote to remove her over a scandal that also led to the imprisonment of two conglomerate leaders, Samsung and Lotte.
President Moon Jae-in pardoned Park last week, citing her deteriorating health and expressing hope for "overcoming the unfortunate past history and promoting national unity."
Justice Department officials handed the pardon to Park at the hospital, where he has been for a month, Yonhap reported, adding that she remained there on Friday. The hospital declined to comment.
Her lawyer said Park, the daughter of a former military dictator, apologized for causing public concern and thanked Moon for making a "difficult decision".
The liberation of Park comes when its former party, the main opposition conservative People's Force, and the Democratic Party of Moon are in a tough presidential race.
Her imprisonment divided the country, with right-wing groups holding weekly rallies in support of the convicted president, blaming Moon and his policies for calling for Park's release, while social distancing rules ended rallies last year.
Hundreds of Park supporters endured the freezing temperatures to gather in front of the hospital, where she stayed up late Thursday to celebrate her release by sending more than 1,000 bouquets of flowers.
No comments:
Post a Comment