Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye leaves the prosecutors office on March 22, 2017 in Seoul. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday, Dec. 24, 2021, that Park would be pardoned and released from prison on Dec. 31. (Lee Young-ho/Xinhua/Sipa USA/TNS)(Tribune News Service) — South Korea will pardon convicted former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office after massive protests over a far-reaching influence-peddling scandal and sentenced to 22 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, the government announced Friday. She is the daughter of the late dictator Park Chung-hee, a controversial military strongman who ruled South Korea for nearly two decades. Park’s pardon is likely to reverberate in South Korean politics ahead of March’s presidential election.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 24, 2021 20:39 UTC