Seoul, Aug 10 (IANS): The leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) has expressed opposition to granting a highly anticipated special pardon to a former South Gyeongsang Province governor convicted in an online rigging case, his aide said on Saturday.

Han Dong-hoon voiced concerns after Kim Kyung-soo, a close associate of former President Moon Jae-in, was included in a list of candidates for President Yoon Suk Yeol's special pardon to be granted next week on the occasion of the August 15 Liberation Day, according to a senior PPP official.

"Han said reinstating the right of someone who has not regretted committing a crime against democracy may not gain widespread public support," the official told Yonhap News Agency.

Kim was released from prison under a special pardon in late 2022 while serving a two-year prison term for online opinion rigging ahead of the presidential election in 2017.

But the pardon at that time fell short of reinstating his rights, barring him from running for public office until December 2027.

If his rights are reinstated as part of next week's pardon, he will be able to run in the next presidential election set for March 2027.

Kim is considered a potential rallying point in the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), particularly among factions not aligned with former DP leader Lee Jae-myung, who is widely expected to be reelected as the party leader later this month.

The presidential office has remained cautious over the politically sensitive issue.

"Pardons and reinstatement of rights are within the president's inherent powers," a senior presidential official told Yonhap News Agency over the phone, while adding that no final decision has yet been made.