Song Young-gil "Vice Chairman Lee could be eligible for parole in August"
Lee Jae-myung "Oppose special pardon, should give chance for parole"
Park Beom-gye "I think parole rate should be increased upon inauguration"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Recently, it has been reported that Seoul Detention Center included Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in the 'August 15 Liberation Day Parole Preliminary Review List,' sparking daily discussions about whether Lee will be granted parole or a special pardon.
Lee is known to have met the parole eligibility criteria. According to the Ministry of Justice regulations, parole candidates are defined as inmates who have served at least 60% of their sentence.
Lee is currently serving a 2-year and 6-month prison sentence on charges including bribery related to the state affairs manipulation case. In February 2017, the special prosecutor team investigating the state affairs manipulation case had Lee detained by court order, and he was imprisoned at Seoul Detention Center for one year until February of the following year. Including this period, by the 26th of this month, he will have served 60% of his sentence, meeting the parole criteria.
Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong Campus on the 20th and said, "Lee could be eligible for parole in August," adding, "I believe they are considering the demands of the semiconductor industry and public sentiment."
Additionally, Lee Jae-myung, governor of Gyeonggi Province and a Democratic Party presidential candidate, stated right after a policy announcement press conference at the National Assembly on the 22nd, "I oppose a special pardon for Lee Jae-yong, but parole should be given a chance," emphasizing, "No one should receive special favors through pardons. Especially, those who have enjoyed social power, status, or wealth should not receive preferential treatment for those reasons."
Meanwhile, some are also paying attention to the possibility of pardons for former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.
Since former President Park is connected to the state affairs manipulation case, her pardon has been mentioned alongside Lee Jae-yong's pardon rumors. Particularly, it is considered that the possibility of pardoning former President Park is relatively higher than that of former President Lee, who is imprisoned on charges such as embezzlement and bribery.
Earlier, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, commented on the pardon discussions regarding former presidents and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong ahead of the August 15 Liberation Day, saying, "I am the chair of the pardon review committee, but I have not yet received the president's intention."
On the 22nd, during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee, Minister Park said, "Special pardons are the president's exclusive authority. If a pardon is to be granted now, based on past examples, an August 15 special pardon could be possible," but added, "I think it is practically unlikely in terms of timing."
He explained, "(The pardon review) is a procedure that occurs after the president decides to grant a pardon," adding, "Unless it is a one-point special pardon, there are no particular signs so far."
According to the Ministry of Justice, there has been no August 15 special pardon among the four special pardons granted during the current administration. The special pardons during the Moon Jae-in administration were the New Year's pardon in 2018, the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement pardon in 2019, and New Year's pardons in 2020 and 2021.
Minister Park stated, "The August 15 parole will proceed," and added, "The parole system is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, separate from special pardons."
However, he did not directly answer questions about Lee's parole possibility. Minister Park said, "It is not a situation to debate parole decisions for specific individuals, and my authority does not extend to parole decisions for specific persons," but added, "However, there are criteria in place."
Minister Park explained, "Since taking office, I have thought that the parole rate should be significantly increased," and emphasized, "What is important is that the Parole Review Committee conducts a more thorough review to reach a reasonable conclusion."
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