South Korean President pardons former President Park Geun-hye, who was serving a 22-year prison sentence

South Korean President Moon Jae-in pardoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was serving a 22-year prison sentence on corruption charges.

Park Geun-hye’s presidency was suspended in 2017 as a result of impeachment.

In 2018, Park Geun-hye was found guilty of divulging state secrets, extortion, abuse of power and accepting bribes. She was also ordered to pay a fine of 18 billion won (about $ 17.5 million). Initially, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison, but then both the term and the amount of the fine were reduced.

As a reminder, the corruption scandal around Park Geun-hye erupted in 2016. According to investigators, a close friend of ex-president Choi Sun Sil, using friendship with the South Korean leader, extorted money from large corporations, including Samsung and Lotte.