Hong Jun-pyo: "Jung Kyung-shim also served 79% and was released... Yoon's mother-in-law's parole is a normal procedure"

President Yoon's mother-in-law Choi Eun-soon granted parole confirmation

Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, said that the parole of Choi Eun-soon (77), the mother-in-law of President Yoon Seok-yeol, which has been confirmed, is a "normal procedure" amid controversy.

On the 9th, a post titled "Is it necessary to grant parole when the full term release is in two months?" was uploaded on 'Cheongnyeon-ui Kkum' (Youth's Dream), an online communication platform created by Mayor Hong. The writer, A, said, "She was causing a fuss in court, claiming she didn't know what she did wrong," and added, "The issue of President Yoon's mother-in-law has been raised since before the presidential election." He further claimed, "Although she was almost acquitted under the Yoon administration, she could not be acquitted of the charge of forging bank account balances and was found guilty by the Supreme Court."

A said, "At that time, President Yoon apologized," and criticized, "It is doubtful whether President Yoon, who says he listens well to the people's voices and wants to change, truly has the will."

In response to the post, Mayor Hong said, "Chung Kyung-shim, the wife of Cho Kuk (former Dongyang University professor), was also imprisoned for 79% of her sentence and then paroled," adding, "The parole of the president's mother-in-law, who served 82% of her sentence, is a normal procedure."

Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, is speaking at the JP Hope Camp closing ceremony held on the 8th at BNB Tower in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On the same day, Lee Yang-su, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, appeared on BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal' and said, "I understand that the parole criteria require serving more than 70% of the sentence." He added, "(President Yoon's mother-in-law) has already served 80% of her sentence. Previously, the spouse of Representative Cho Kuk was paroled after serving 77% of the sentence. It seems to have been handled similarly."

Jeong Kyung-shim, the spouse of Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, was released on parole in September last year. Under current law, those sentenced to imprisonment with labor can be paroled after serving one-third of their sentence. At that time, Jeong had served about 3 years and 1 month, which is more than three-quarters of her 4-year sentence. Her full-term release was scheduled for August this year.

Choi Eun-soon, mother-in-law of President Yoon Seok-yeol (center).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Choi was serving a one-year prison sentence for forging bank balance certificates but was deemed "eligible" in the parole review on the 8th. Subsequently, Park Sung-jae, Minister of Justice, accepted the parole review committee's recommendation and approved Choi's parole. Accordingly, Choi will be released early from Seoul Eastern Detention Center on the 14th, about two months before the end of her sentence (July 20).

Choi was previously up for parole review in February but was judged "ineligible" and excluded from the March review, and in April, she received a "review deferred" decision.