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Yoon makes surprise visit to Ukraine in show of support

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee arrived in Ukraine following a three-day official visit to Poland, reports Asian Lite News

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Saturday, sending a strong signal of support for the war-torn nation, his office said.

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee arrived in Ukraine following a three-day official visit to Poland, according to senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye.

He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later in the day to discuss areas where South Korea can provide additional aid, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Earlier Saturday, Yoon visited the site of mass killings in Bucha, near Kyiv, before visiting Irpin, a civilian residential area that has been subject to large-scale missile attacks, the press secretary said.

He was also scheduled to lay a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen for Ukraine in Kyiv.

Further details are yet to be disclosed.

Yoon has shown strong support for Ukraine in line with his campaign for freedom, human rights and the rule of law in solidarity with like-minded nations.

South Korea has provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in its protracted war with Russia but denied the country’s requests for lethal weapons.

This will be the second Yoon-Zelensky meeting after one held on the sidelines of a G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May.

At the time, Yoon promised additional non-lethal aid, including demining equipment and ambulances.

Yoon’s visit to Ukraine came at the end of a two-leg trip that earlier took him to Lithuania for the NATO Summit and then to Poland for an official visit.

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Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye set free

Last week, President Moon Jae-in decided to pardon Park as part of his special amnesty for the new year…reports Asian Lite News.

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was set free on Friday under a presidential pardon, after four years and nine months in jail following her impeachment and ouster from office for corruption.

The 69-year-old has served a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption and an influence-peddling scandal involving a close friend accused of manipulating her.

Last week, President Moon Jae-in decided to pardon Park as part of his special amnesty for the new year.

The government said the decision was made in consideration of her deteriorating health and as part of efforts to promote national unity.

Park has been receiving treatment at a Seoul hospital for a series of back, shoulder and other ailments. She received a certificate of pardon at the hospital at midnight and is expected to remain there until early February

The former leader is eligible for government security protection but is not subject to other former presidential privileges, such as the provision of special pensions for retired Presidents and personal secretaries, due to her conviction.

Where she will stay after leaving the hospital remains unclear for now, as Park’s private home in southern Seoul was auctioned off as part of her forfeiture.

Her supporters have held rallies near the hospital in southern Seoul to celebrate her release. A number of standing flower wreaths with messages wishing her good health have lined a street near the hospital.

The amnesty for Park, the eldest daughter of former authoritarian President Park Chung-hee, is expected to have a significant impact on the upcoming presidential election in March, as she has commanded strong support of voters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, a stronghold of the main opposition People Power Party.

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