The Ministry of Justice is expected to convene a committee to deliberate on a special pardon, legal sources said Monday.

The ministry's amnesty review committee is scheduled to meet later in the day at the government complex in Gwacheon, south of Seoul.

The committee, chaired by Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, is made up of nine members, including more than four outside experts.

President Moon Jae-in has the final authority on whom to pardon, after the justice minister's initiation and the deliberation of the Cabinet.

The ministry is said to have required correctional centers around the country to submit a list of candidates for special pardons.

President Moon has granted special pardons three times since he took office in May 2017. In December of that year, he granted such pardons to 6,444 convicts, followed by 4,378 in February 2019. For the latest presidential pardon in December last year, a total of 5,174 people were granted clemency, including convicts who objected to fulfilling military duty based on their faith. (Yonhap)