The presidential office said on Monday that the latest special presidential pardon is aimed at relieving the burden of convicts whose livelihoods were affected and promoting national unity.

The Justice Ministry said on Monday that a total of five-thousand-174 people will be pardoned and have their rights reinstated on Tuesday, as part of government efforts toward national unity.

A senior official at the top office told reporters that the special amnesty would mark the third after President Moon Jae-in took office in May 2017. 

Regarding the 267 beneficiaries who were convicted of violating election-related laws, the presidential official said that the special pardon was granted for very few people in that category as strict standards were applied. The official noted that the comparable figure in the 2010 special pardon was two-thousand-375. 

Regarding the inclusion of former Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae, who was sentenced in 2011 for involvement in an illegal political fund, the top office said the decision involved no political consideration.