South Korea celebrated the anniversary of its liberation from Japanese rule on Monday, and President Yoon Suk-yeol used the holiday to announce pardons for convicted criminals — most notably de facto Samsung group head Lee Jae-yong.

This practice of pardoning both well-known and common criminals is a well-established part of the South Korean political scene. Park Chung-hee used prisoner releases to deflect criticism of human rights activists at home and abroad in the 1970s. And since democratization in 1987, both progressive and conservative presidents have freed high-profile business leaders and politicians, while granting amnesty to thousands of average citizensfor