This blurred image shows Choi Eun-soon, center, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee while on her way to attend a court hearing in Uijeongbu, north of Seoul, in this July 21, 2023 photo. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol's mother-in-law, who has been serving a one-year prison term for forgery, is fit for parole, a justice ministry panel determined Wednesday, two months ahead of the scheduled expiration of her term.

The ministry's nine-member parole review board delivered the decision during its meeting marking Buddha's birthday next week in favor of Choi Eun-soon, the 77-year-old mother of first lady Kim Keon Hee.

The final decision on whether to grant parole to Cho rests with Justice Minister Park Sung-jae. If Park approves, Choi is expected to be discharged from prison on May 14, about two months ahead of the expiration of her term.

"The parole review committee, consisting of more than half of outside members, unanimously reached the decision by comprehensively considering (her) age, the period of the jail term, correction scores, health condition and the risk of a second offense," the ministry said.

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 ($25.6 million) in the process of purchasing land in Seongnam, south of Seoul, in 2013.

She had been previously 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.

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. (Yonhap)