President Lee Jae Myung granted a special pardon to former minor Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk as part of his first round of amnesty ahead of this week's Liberation Day.

The government said Monday that the pardons of 836-thousand-687 people, including 27 politicians and former public officials, and 16 business leaders, will be carried out on Friday. 

The list includes former justice minister Cho, convicted of illegalities in his children's university admissions and unlawful interference in a state inspection, as well as his wife, Chung Kyung-sim, who was found guilty of purchasing stocks under someone else’s name and using insider information to invest in a private equity fund.

Former ruling Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Choe Kang-wook, who was convicted of issuing false internship certificates for Cho’s son to submit when applying to university, was granted a pardon, as was former DP Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, found guilty of embezzling donations for Korean victims of Japanese military sexual slavery.

On the main opposition side, former conservative Saenuri Party Rep. Hong Moon-jong, convicted of embezzlement and bribery, and former People Power Party(PPP) Rep. Jung Chan-min, also serving a sentence for bribery, were both pardoned.

From the business community, former SK Networks Chairman Chey Shin-won, former Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung, and former Samsung Presidents Jang Choong-gi and Park Sang-jin were pardoned and reinstated.