President Lee Jae Myung, who is currently on a summer holiday, has begun deliberating on the candidates for the administration’s first pardons next week.

According to the presidential office on Wednesday, Lee is preparing to announce the special pardons to commemorate Liberation Day.

There is speculation that the pardons will focus on revitalizing the economy and protecting vulnerable members of society.

Lee reportedly has yet to determine whether to include any politicians on the list, with calls from some within the ruling party, and from religious and civic groups, to grant a pardon to former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk.

Cho is currently serving a two-year sentence for using his influence to obtain academic favors for his children and interfering with a state investigation into a corruption case as a presidential aide.

The main opposition People Power Party, for its part, strongly opposes a pardon for Cho, and the president is expected to consider politics and national unity in his final decision.

Some speculate that Lee may make his decision within the next day or two, with the justice ministry’s review committee set to convene Thursday, after which Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho is expected to brief the president on the list of candidates.