With the Aug. 15 Liberation Day approaching, President Park Geun-hye will use the upcoming week to reinforce her reform initiative and improve people's morale, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Sunday.

Park is scheduled to chair meetings and attend events related to the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day. In these occasions, Park is expected to highlight the country's meteoric rise over the past seven decades and the need for reforms to take the next step, a key official at the presidential office said.

Last Thursday, Park spoke to the nation in a televised address on transforming the rigid labor market and other sectors to revive South Korea's faltering economy.  

"She will try to insist the importance of reforms for the better future of our economy," the official said. "She will also seek to improve the people's self-esteem as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day."

Park is scheduled to chair a meeting of senior secretaries and discuss economic reforms Monday. Then on Wednesday, Park will host a luncheon for independence heroes and their descendants.

The president will hold a Cabinet meeting the following day to finalize details of special pardons. Local media have reported that Park could grant pardons to convicted business tycoons, such as SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon.

Cheong Wa Dae has yet to confirm details, though one presidential official noted that Park has offered to "unite the people and revive the economy" and her pardons will reflect those objectives.

In her Liberation Day address, Park is expected to discuss South Korea's ties to Japan and reiterate her stance that Tokyo's apology over its past wrongdoings should precede future-oriented development of bilateral relations.

A Cheong Wa Dae official explained that Park will determine the tone of her message on Japan after the release of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's war-end anniversary statement on Friday. (Yonhap)