SEOUL, A justice ministry panel was set to review Wednesday whether to grant parole to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s mother-in-law, who has been serving a one-year prison term for forgery, two months ahead of the scheduled expiration of her term.

The ministry’s nine-member parole review board is scheduled to meet for its monthly session at 2 p.m. and review whether Choi Eun-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee, is qualified for parole.

Choi has been serving a one-year sentence at the Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul 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 (US$25.7 million) in the process of purchasing land in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2013.

She had been 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.

If she is granted parole, Choi will be discharged from prison on May 14, pending final approval by Justice Minister Park Sung-jae, which will be about two months ahead of the expiration of her term.

By law, incarcerated convicts become eligible for a parole review after serving at least one-third of their prison sentences.

The review panel considers parole candidates’ ages, criminal motives, criminal charges, the duration of their terms and the risks of second offenses when determining whether to grant parole.