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Purple Heart veteran from Hawaii pardoned by NY governor after self-deporting to South Korea

Aug 31, 2026·Location: New York, NY

Country of origin: South Korea

Purple Heart veteran from Hawaii pardoned by NY governor after self-deporting to South Korea
Photo via CNN

Sae Joon Park, 57, a Korean-born US Army veteran awarded a Purple Heart after being shot in the spine during the 1989 US invasion of Panama, self-deported to South Korea last year after ICE threatened to detain him at a routine immigration check-in over old criminal convictions. Park, who moved to the US at age 7 to join his mother, later settled in Hawaii, where he raised his two adult children, cared for his elderly mother and worked at the Aloha Kia auto dealership before his removal order led to deportation. He developed untreated PTSD after his military service, leading to a crack cocaine addiction, a 2007 drug possession conviction in Queens, N.Y., and a later bail-jumping conviction after he was apprehended in Hawaii and extradited to New York. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pardoned Park for the bail-jumping conviction last week, one of six pardons she granted after his legal team petitioned since January; his attorneys said the pardon does not guarantee his return, and Park remains in Busan, South Korea, separated from his family.

Timeline

Aug 31, 2026—Pardon reported as opening pathway for Park to legally return and reunite with family
Aug 28, 2026—NY Gov. Kathy Hochul pardoned Park for his 2007 and 2009 convictions
2025—Sae Joon Park self-deported to South Korea after ICE threatened detention at a routine check-in
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