Purple Heart Veteran Sae Joon Park Granted Pardon After Self-Deportation

NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has granted clemency to Sae Joon Park, a decorated U.S. Army veteran who was forced to leave the country in 2024 after facing deportation, according to his legal representatives. Hochul issued a pardon on Friday, clearing Park of prior convictions for bail jumping and drug possession. In a statement, the governor said the six individuals granted clemency had demonstrated meaningful rehabilitation and a commitment to contributing to their communities.

"I believe they have earned their second chance through rehabilitation and can now establish their futures once again," Hochul said.

Park, who immigrated to the United States from South Korea at age 7 and became a legal permanent resident, has lived in the country for nearly all of his life. He served in the U.S. Army, including during the 1989 invasion of Panama, where he was wounded and later awarded the Purple Heart. Years later, he struggled with undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which led to a drug addiction and subsequent legal issues. He served three years in prison, where he achieved sobriety, and later rebuilt his life in Hawaii.

In June 2025, immigration authorities informed Park that he faced detention and deportation unless he left the U.S. voluntarily, according to his legal team. He departed later that month, leaving behind his two adult children and elderly mother. "I have to accept the fact that this is probably the last time I'll see her," he told NPR at the time.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Park’s pardon does not automatically grant him re-entry into the United States, but it removes a significant legal obstacle. His attorney, Danicole Ramos of the University of Hawaii’s Refugee and Immigration Law Clinic, stated that the pardon allows the legal team to reopen his case and petition the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider his removal order.

"This pardon represents a tremendous step forward and gives Mr. Park and his family renewed hope that, after more than a year of separation, he may one day be able to return to the country he has called home since childhood and for which he put his life on the line," Ramos said.

Park has received national attention in recent months. In December 2025, he testified via Zoom before a congressional hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, where Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island questioned then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about Park’s case. Magaziner asked if the agency would explore a path for Park to return.

"I will absolutely look at his case," Noem replied at the hearing.

Park expressed gratitude in a statement released Friday, acknowledging the support of his legal team, advocates, and the public.

“I know there is still work ahead, but today I have hope that I may finally be able to come home,” he said. “I want to thank my legal team, everyone who advocated for me, and the thousands of people who have supported me and my family. I will never forget what you have done for me.”