New York governor pardons Hawaii Purple Heart veteran forced to self-deport
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul granted a pardon to Sae Joon Park, the Purple Heart veteran who self deported to Korea last year after living in the U.S. for nearly 50 years.
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Park moved to the U.S. when he was 7 years old and had legal permanent residency under a Green Card.
In 2011, Park was convicted for drug and bail offenses.
His Purple Heart status allowed him to stay in the country at the time, but that protection was ended by the Trump administration in 2025.
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Park opted to self deported in June of 2025, leaving his family in Hawaii.
Officials say the pardon does not automatically allow Park to return to the U.S., but he can now begin the process of overturning his removal order.
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