Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong Granted Parole Approval... To Be Released on the Morning of the 13th

Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] Parole for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is serving a prison sentence for the state corruption scandal, was approved on the 9th. Vice Chairman Lee will be released from Seoul Detention Center at 10 a.m. on the 13th.

On the same day, Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye approved the parole application for Vice Chairman Lee submitted by the Parole Review Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Parole Review Committee). A total of 810 people were included in this Liberation Day parole.

At a Liberation Day parole briefing held at 6:50 p.m. in the briefing room on the 3rd floor of the Ministry of Justice building, Government Complex Gwacheon Building 1, Minister Park stated regarding Vice Chairman Lee’s inclusion in the parole list, "Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics was included in consideration of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the national economic situation and the global economic environment." He added, "I understand that the parole decision for Vice Chairman Lee was made after comprehensively considering various factors such as public sentiment and his behavior during incarceration."

The Parole Review Committee held a closed meeting from 2 p.m. at the Ministry of Justice’s Government Complex Gwacheon to discuss the eligibility of candidates for parole. The committee decided that Vice Chairman Lee was eligible and submitted a parole approval request to Minister Park.

The Parole Review Committee meeting included internal members such as Kang Seong-guk, Deputy Minister of Justice and chairperson of the committee; Gu Ja-hyun, Director of the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecution Bureau; Yoo Byung-cheol, Director of the Correction Headquarters; and Yoon Woong-jang, Director of the Crime Prevention Policy Bureau.

External members included five individuals: Yoon Kang-yeol, Senior Judge of Seoul High Court; Kim Yong-jin, lawyer at the Korea Legal Aid Corporation; Hong Seung-hee, professor at Wonkwang University Law School; Baek Yong-mae, professor of psychology at Daegu Catholic University; and Cho Yoon-oh, professor at Dongguk University Police and Judicial College.

Vice Chairman Lee, who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison and detained in court during the retrial of the state corruption scandal in January, had completed 60% of his sentence as of the end of last month and was classified as a model prisoner, passing the preliminary parole screening at Seoul Detention Center.

Before the parole review, some opposition voices arose mainly from progressive circles against Vice Chairman Lee’s parole. However, recent public opinion polls showed a much higher rate of support for his parole, citing reasons such as overcoming the economic crisis and the necessity of vaccine diplomacy.

In particular, Minister Park had advocated for easing and expanding parole conditions even before his appointment, leading the legal community to anticipate a high possibility of Vice Chairman Lee’s parole.

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