[Full Text] Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, Announcement on Granting Parole on Liberation Day

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong will be released on parole in celebration of the upcoming August 15 Liberation Day. On the 9th, Park Beom-gye, Minister of Justice, held a briefing at the Ministry of Justice Government Gwacheon Office and announced, "Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been included in the parole candidates."

Below is the full text of Minister Park's briefing.

At today's Ministry of Justice Parole Review Committee meeting, the parole eligibility of 1,057 inmates was reviewed and decided.

Among them, parole was approved by the Minister of Justice for 810 inmates who were deemed eligible. These individuals will be released at 10 a.m. on August 13 from 54 correctional facilities nationwide.

As you know, since my appointment as minister, I have continuously promised to expand parole. The parole conducted in commemoration of this August 15 Liberation Day also aims to help overcome the economic situation and significantly expand the number of approvals considering the overcrowded conditions of correctional facilities vulnerable to infectious diseases.

Compared to the average monthly parole number of 659 last year, this is an increase of about 151 people. We will continue to maintain the expansion trend in line with the purpose of the parole system. In particular, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics was included in this parole in consideration of the national economic situation due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic environment.

The parole of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was decided after comprehensively considering various factors such as social sentiment and behavior during incarceration. Additionally, from a humanitarian perspective, 155 inmates with minor children and 189 inmates convicted of livelihood-related crimes under difficult circumstances were included. Furthermore, considering the current fourth wave of the COVID-19 virus, parole was granted to 107 individuals vulnerable to infection, such as patients and the elderly, allowing them to receive treatment within society.

The Ministry of Justice aims to reduce the current average occupancy rate of correctional facilities from 110% to 105% by continuously promoting parole expansion. At the same time, through the introduction of in-depth interview systems and improvement of recidivism prediction indicators, we will operate a parole system that the public can empathize with. In particular, to prevent any allegations of preferential treatment, we will strive to provide parole review opportunities to inmates who have served more than 60% of their sentences unless there are special circumstances. Thank you.

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