South Korea: Former president Lee Myung-bak pardoned

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol granted a special pardon to his predecessor Lee Myung-bak this week. Lee was currently serving his 17-year prison sentence for corruption and other related charges.

On Tuesday, Yoon granted a pardon to his predecessor Lee, who was convicted of corruption, embezzlement, and bribery and was serving a 17-year prison sentence. The pardon would take effect on Wednesday and cancel out the 15 remaining years in Lee’s prison sentence. Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, was convicted in 2018 but has been released temporarily due to health issues.

Back in June, prosecutors suspended Lee’s prison sentence, citing Lee’s health. Lee was originally expected to be pardoned in August when Yoon first exerted his clemency powers after taking office in May. Lee is also the fourth South Korean president to serve jail time as his successor Park Geun-Hye, was also sentenced to prison following a major corruption scandal that ended her term in 2017.

Park was pardoned by Yoon’s immediate predecessor Moon Jae-in in late 2021 after serving nearly five years in prison.

On Wednesday, Yoon said that any provocation by North Korea must be responded to without hesitation despite Pyongyang’s possession of nuclear weapons. This follows the incursion made by five North Korean drones into South Korean airspace. The incursion prompted South Korea to scramble jets and fire warning shots in the first such incursion since 2017.

“We must punish and retaliate against any provocation by North Korea. That is the most powerful means to deter provocations,” said Yoon during a meeting with his aides, according to press secretary Kim Eun-hye. “We must not fear or hesitate because North Korea has nuclear weapons.”

The response by South Korea to North Korea’s incursion was met with criticism as Yoon said the military failed to shoot down the drones as they flew over South Korea for hours. South Korean drones were deployed to North Korea for three hours.

South Korean defense minister Lee Jong-sup told parliament on the same day that Yoon ordered to deploy drones into North Korea in response to any incursion, even if it posed the risk of escalating tensions.