South Korea's president is to pardon 2,493 convicted criminals, among them the brother of his predecessor, and several thousand civil servants facing disciplinary action on the anniversary the country's independence from Japan on Sunday, dpa reported.
President Lee Myung Bak is to pardon the brother of late president Roh Moo Hyun, Roh Geon Pyeong, who was convicted of taking bribes, the Yonhap news agency reported Friday.
According to the Justice Ministry, 2,493 convicts will receive an amnesty. Most of them are businessmen or those who had violated campaigning laws, among them Lee Hak Soo, a former vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and Kim Jun Ki, chairman of Dongbu Group, a major conglomerate.
Some 5,685 former and current government officials who are under disciplinary action are also to receive exemption for their offenses, Yonhap reported.
Frequent pardons of business leaders have met with criticism, accusing the government of being soft on rich businessmen.