SEOUL– Former President Lee Myung-bak will likely leave the hospital soon following a special presidential pardon, aides said Wednesday, amid speculation he could deliver a statement in person.
Lee was pardoned at the beginning of Wednesday while serving a 17-year prison term for bribery and embezzlement. The pardon canceled his remaining prison term of about 15 years and about 8.2 billion won (US$6.48 million) of unpaid fines.
The 81-year-old has been staying at a hospital in Seoul due to diabetes and other chronic ailments.
The exact date of Lee’s discharge has yet to be determined as well as whether he will issue an official statement on his release, according to his aide.
“If he decides to issue a message, I think he could do it by himself,” an aide said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency