Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in State Manipulation Scandal Sentenced to 2 Years and 6 Months, Nearly Half Deem It 'Excessive'

'Excessive' 46.0% vs 'Moderate' 21.7% vs 'Light' 24.9%

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Nearly half of the public viewed the prison sentence handed down to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong as ‘excessive’.

According to a poll conducted by Realmeter on the 19th at the request of OhmyNews, surveying 500 men and women nationwide aged 18 and older regarding Vice Chairman Lee’s verdict, 46.0% of respondents answered that the sentence was ‘excessive,’ the agency announced on the 20th. Those who responded ‘too light’ accounted for 24.9%, while 21.7% said it was ‘appropriate.’ The remaining 7.5% answered ‘don’t know.’

One day earlier, on the 18th, the court sentenced Lee to a prison term of 2 years and 6 months, reduced from the first trial’s 5-year sentence, in connection with his involvement in the state affairs manipulation scandal.

However, by region and age group, the response ‘excessive’ was predominant. In particular, 60.0% of residents in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam said the sentence was ‘excessive,’ while in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, and Incheon, more than half?55.9% and 51.7%, respectively?also evaluated it as ‘excessive.’

By age group, 63.7% of respondents in their 60s said the sentence was ‘excessive,’ the highest proportion, while only 28.0% of those in their 20s responded this way, drawing attention. Instead, the proportions who answered ‘appropriate or too light’ were 28.0% and 32.9%, respectively, showing a fairly even distribution of opinions.

Responses differed according to ideological orientation. More than half of conservatives and moderates said the sentence was ‘excessive,’ whereas among progressives, only about 2 out of 10 (22.1%) evaluated it as excessive.

The survey contacted 8,775 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, with a final 500 respondents completing the survey, recording a response rate of 5.7%. The sampling error is ±4.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.