Moon urged to explain release of Samsung chief
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap
President criticized for passing responsibility to justice minister
By Nam Hyun-woo
Calls are growing for President Moon Jae-in to explain the rationale behind Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's parole from prison, with civic groups and progressive politicians questioning the fairness of the decision.
Cheong Wa Dae has been keeping silent on the issue, despite reporters' continued requests for comment since Monday when the Ministry of Justice announced it would parole the Samsung chief.
“Cheong Wa Dae has no specific stance on Lee's parole, and we have no comment about the decision-making process between the justice ministry and presidential office,” an official said on condition of anonymity.
On Monday, the ministry's nine-member parole commission approved Lee's release, which Justice Minister Park Beom-kye later confirmed. Following this, Lee will be released from prison Friday, after serving slightly over 60 percent of his sentence. It is rare for a convict who fulfills such a portion of their term to be paroled.
Lee, the head of Korea's largest conglomerate, has been in prison since January after a guilty verdict was confirmed on charges of bribery and embezzlement involving impeached and jailed former President Park Geun-hye.
Initially, there was speculation that Moon would grant a presidential pardon for Lee, in response to the domestic business community's calls for his release citing Lee's importance in directing Samsung's future investments, which it claimed would help the country's economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Cheong Wa Dae pursued an alternative method of releasing him on parole, with officials at the presidential office saying “the issue should be a decision of the ministry's parole commission.” This was seen as a highly political decision, distancing Moon and the presidential office from political pressure regarding the issue.
However, criticism has arisen that Cheong Wa Dae is dodging its responsibility over Lee's release, given the decision-making process of the parole commission and the importance of the issue.
Four of the nine members of the commission are ranking justice ministry officials, including a vice justice minister and the Korea Correctional Services commissioner. The others are a high court judge, lawyers and law professors.
Given this structure, the justice ministry is the single largest entity that can influence the commission, thus enabling critics to claim the responsibility goes to the justice minister and the President.
Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party stages a rally denouncing Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's release on parole in front of the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, where the Ministry of Justice is located, Monday. Joint Press Corps
On Wednesday, the progressive Justice Party demanded Moon explain Lee's parole.
“Despite questions on Lee's parole, the President is keeping silent, which is an evasion of responsibility,” said Kang Min-jin, head of the Youth Justice Party, a group under the Justice Party. “If Cheong Wa Dae wants to say Moon's opinion was not reflected in Lee's release, it should replace the justice minister. Otherwise, it is interpreted that Moon pursued parole for Lee to avoid responsibility.”
Rep. Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party also demanded to know President Moon's clear stance on Lee's release.
“Though Cheong Wa Dae said it has no comment and left Lee's release in the hands of the justice ministry, everyone knows this is the President's decision,” Sim said. “I demand to know the clear stance of Moon, who said in the past that clearing deep-rooted evil was the top priority of his government.”
During the 2017 presidential election, then-candidate Moon pledged to battle against corruption as a top priority, and promised to limit presidential pardons for major crimes such as bribery, breach of trust and embezzlement.
The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said that Moon was “being irresponsible by handing over the responsibility to the justice minister” and demanded Moon replace Minister Park and make a public apology.