Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was set free under a presidential pardon, according to the Yonhap news agency.

She received a certificate of pardon at a hospital in Seoul, where she has been receiving treatment for a series of ailments, at midnight and is expected to remain there until early February.

The 69-year-old has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption and an influence-peddling scandal involving a close friend accused of manipulating her.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in granted Park a pardon as part of a special amnesty for the new year and due to her health deterioration.