"Is This Fair? 'Withdrawing Support' for Park Beom-gye Who Approved Lee Jae-yong's Parole"

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Minister Park Finally Approves Parole Decision by Ministry of Justice Review Committee

Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye is preparing to announce the results of the Ministry of Justice Parole Review Committee's decision on whether to grant parole to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong at the Ministry of Justice briefing room in the Government Complex Gwacheon on the afternoon of the 9th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The Minister of Justice, who gave the final approval for the parole decision of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, is facing fierce criticism from some ruling party supporters. These supporters have hurled harsh insults such as "traitor" and "XX-nom" on Minister Park's social media accounts.

On the 10th, numerous angry netizens posted comments on Minister Park's Facebook account. They expressed disappointment with remarks like, "He was that kind of person after all. To grant parole to (Vice Chairman Lee) citing unreasonable reasons," "Is this fairness? I withdraw my support," and "Don't think about shouting for justice anymore." Some also unleashed harsh criticism such as, "It's shameful and disgusting," "Pathetic guy," "Traitor," and "Go to Gukjimdang (People Power Party), you Gukgae-nom."

There were also opinions criticizing Minister Park by mentioning former Ministers of Justice Cho Kuk and Choo Mi-ae. One netizen wrote, "I have confirmed well that you are different from Ministers Cho Kuk and Choo Mi-ae. Truly, truly disappointed," and pointed out, "Is the Ministry of Justice's goal to get along well with vested interests and corrupt forces? The public has to bear the damage, and the president only gets criticized."

Some critical comments from ruling party supporters posted on Minister Park's Facebook account on the 10th / Photo by Facebook capture

Earlier, on the afternoon of the 9th, Minister Park held a press conference at the Government Complex Gwacheon and stated, "I understand that the parole of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was decided by comprehensively considering various factors such as social sentiment, the inmate's behavior, and lifestyle attitude."

On that day, the Ministry of Justice Parole Review Committee resolved to parole a total of 810 people, including Vice Chairman Lee, after about 4 hours and 30 minutes of a closed meeting. Minister Park immediately approved the review results. Unlike special pardons, which are the exclusive authority of the president, parole is ultimately decided by the Minister of Justice.

Thus, Vice Chairman Lee, who is serving time for the 'National Affairs Manipulation' case, is scheduled to be released from Seoul Detention Center at 10 a.m. on the 13th.

Meanwhile, opinions were divided within the ruling party regarding the approval of Vice Chairman Lee's parole. The Democratic Party of Korea expressed general agreement by saying, "We respect the Ministry of Justice's decision," but some ruling party presidential candidates openly voiced criticism.

Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Soyoung issued a verbal statement on the afternoon of the 9th, saying, "We respect the Ministry of Justice's decision after considering the requirements and procedures for parole," and added, "Since the government made the parole decision after careful consideration, we hope Samsung will play a more active role in securing vaccines and resolving semiconductor issues."

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is serving time for the political scandal, will be released on parole on the 13th. The photo shows Vice Chairman Lee being released from Seoul Detention Center after the appeal trial verdict for the 'political scandal' on February 5, 2018. Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, presidential candidate and Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Doo-kwan wrote on his Facebook, "I strongly condemn the parole of Lee Jae-yong," and strongly criticized it as "a signal of betrayal to the candlelight citizens who impeached the corrupt power colluding with conglomerates and wished for a fair country, and a handshake with the vested interest cartel."

He continued, "Vice Chairman Lee was a key figure in the Park Geun-hye administration's national affairs manipulation scandal," and expressed outrage, "How can you talk about the rule of law and justice when you release a major criminal who shook the country after serving only 60% of a 2-year and 6-month light sentence?"

Another presidential candidate from the same party, lawmaker Park Yong-jin, also emphasized, "I have repeatedly expressed opposition to (Vice Chairman Lee's parole decision)," and stated, "A 0.1% preferential parole for a conglomerate chairman is not fair."

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