ⓒYONHAP News

President Moon Jae-in granted a special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, who has served four years and nine months of her combined 22-year prison term.

Park was included on a list of three-thousand-94 recipients of special pardons, commutations and restoration of rights that the government announced on Friday ahead of the new year. The directive will be effective next Friday.

Park has been behind bars since March 31, 2017 for abuse of power, bribery and embezzlement.

The government said the pardons were carried out to unite the nation by surmounting an unfortunate history and to create an opportunity to take a step forward into the future by overcoming a pan-national crisis due to the pandemic through unity.

In a briefing, Justice Minister Park Beom-gye said Park's declining health was also a "very important" factor.

President Moon also restored the rights of Han Myung-sook, who served as prime minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration. This means she’ll be eligible to run for office. Initially, she had been ineligible until 2027.

The former prime minister was released from prison in August 2017 after completing a two-year prison sentence for receiving slush funds.

Former President Lee Myung-bak, who’s serving a 17-year prison sentence for bribery and embezzlement, was not among the recipients of special pardons.

Rival political parties gave mixed reactions to the pardon.

Ruling Democratic Party(DP) presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said he  understands President Moon Jae-in's anguish in striving for national unity and respects his decision, but that Park must sincerely apologize to the people.

DP leader Song Young-gil similarly said he and his party respect the president's carefully considered decision, which falls within his constitutional authority. However, other members of the party expressed opposition.

The main opposition People Power Party's(PPP) presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl said the pardon was late, but he welcomes it, adding that he hopes Park recovers her health soon.

The PPP issued a statement, welcoming the pardon, before pledging to work harder towards national unity.

PPP Rep. Hong Joon-pyo criticized the administration for granting Park a pardon, but not one to her conservative predecessor Lee Myung-bak, also imprisoned for corruption, in an alleged bid to divide opposition supporters.

Minor Justice Party presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung, on the other hand, expressed deep regret, saying the pardons of former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo distorted history rather than achieve national unity.

Minor People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo suggested that the pardon may be an attempt to draw attention away from the parole release of a former member of the now-disbanded minor opposition Unified Progressive Party Lee Seok-ki.