President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mother-in-law, who had been serving a one-year prison term for forgery, was released on parole Tuesday, two months ahead of the scheduled discharge.Choi Eun-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee, was serving a one-year sentence since an appellate court convicted her in July last year of forging financial documents used in a land purchase deal.She was accused of forging bank balance statements on four occasions to falsely show bank deposits of 34.9 billion won ($25.7 million) in the process of purchasing land in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2013.Upon leaving the Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul at 10 a.m., Choi, wearing a purple hat and scarf, and her face covered with a mask, hopped into a vehicle waiting for her without responding to reporters’ questions.
Some 30 people, including YouTubers and supporters of Choi, were gathered at the detention center, and the police had deployed over 150 riot police around the area to prevent collision.By law, incarcerated convicts become eligible for a parole review after serving at least one-third of their prison sentences.Choi had been previously considered for parole review in the monthly session in March but was determined ineligible.In the subsequent session last month, the board postponed its review for Choi, automatically scheduling her for a re-review in May, when she was granted unanimous approval for parole by the nine-member board. Justice Minister Park Sung-jae approved the decision the following day.The discharge from parole came nearly two months earlier than the scheduled release date slated for July 20, with Choi serving some 82 percent of her 카지노사이트킹 due term.