S. Korea Frees 3,501 Prisoners
South Korea on Friday released 3,501 prisoners, including two North Koreans jailed for more than 10 years for spying, as part of a sweeping amnesty just ahead of the new year, the Justice Ministry said.
An additional 6,145 people who had been sentenced to social work for minor crimes were pardoned under the amnesty, the ministry said in a statement.
Annual amnesties in South Korea affect hundreds of thousands of people convicted of crimes ranging from minor driving offenses to high-level graft.
A ministry official said Friday that the benefits from the amnesty would reach 1 million people, as the government planned to lift bans on financial transactions by those with minor debt defaults or other economic offenses.
Many of the country’s self-employed have been under such bans since the financial crisis hit South Korea in 1997.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
