Former President Park Geun-hye, who was pardoned late last year while serving a 22-year prison sentence for corruption, was discharged from the hospital on Thursday.

Park left Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul at around 8:30 a.m. to return to her hometown of Daegu.

She had been hospitalized for a chronic illness since November and granted a presidential pardon in late December after serving four years and nine months in prison.

Leaving the hospital on Thursday, the former president told reporters that she has recovered much thanks to the people's concerns of her health. Park also expressed gratitude for the doctors who have treated her for four months.

Park plans to visit the grave of her father Park Chung-hee at Seoul National Cemetery to pay her respects before heading to Daegu.