The justice ministry will review candidates for what would be a fifth round of special pardons by President Yoon Suk Yeol around the time of Liberation Day next week.

The ministry is set to convene the pardon review committee at 2 p.m. Thursday to deliberate on candidacy for the pardons and reinstatements to be recommended to the president.

Possible political candidates include former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyoung-soo and former senior presidential secretary for political affairs Cho Yoon-sun.

The former governor, a close associate of former President Moon Jae-in, was released on parole without being reinstated in 2022 while serving a two-year sentence on opinion-rigging charges. Cho completed a 14-month prison term for her role in drawing up a blacklist of artists seen critical of ousted former president Park Geun-hye’s government.

The pardons will be reviewed by the panel on Thursday, and the justice minister will send the list to a Cabinet meeting for deliberation before they are finalized by President Yoon.