Ministry of Justice Announces 735 First Parolees in March... Including Choi Kyung-hwan, Choi Ji-sung, and Jang Chung-gi

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Choi Kyung-hwan, a former member of the Liberty Korea Party (67), who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance under the Park Geun-hye administration, will be granted parole on the 17th. Choi Ji-sung, former head of the Future Strategy Office (71), and Jang Choong-ki, former deputy head (68, president) of the same office, who were imprisoned after being convicted in connection with the state affairs manipulation scandal alongside Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, will also be released.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Justice announced that 735 exemplary prisoners, including them, will be granted parole in the first round at 10 a.m. on the 17th. Former lawmaker Choi was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of receiving 10 million won in bribes from Lee Heon-soo, former director of the National Intelligence Service’s Policy Coordination Office, in October 2014. He has currently served about 80% of his sentence. Former head Choi and former deputy Jang were sentenced to two years and six months in prison in January last year in the retrial of the state affairs manipulation case for charges including bribery, receiving the same sentence as Vice Chairman Lee.

Under criminal law, those sentenced to imprisonment with labor can be eligible for parole after serving one-third of their sentence. However, typically, they must meet the execution rate criteria (50% to 90%) to be considered for preliminary parole review. Former lawmaker Choi and others were also reviewed by the parole review committee on the 15th of last month, but the committee deferred the decision at that time and reconsidered it this time, deciding to grant parole.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice announced that it will conduct parole twice this month considering the overcrowded conditions in correctional facilities due to the spread of the Omicron variant. The next parole is expected to take place toward the end of this month. Regarding this parole, the Ministry of Justice explained, "It includes patients with low risk of recidivism, those with underlying diseases vulnerable to COVID-19 immunity, and businesspeople. However, even considering the spread of COVID-19, prisoners who committed serious crimes and socially condemned offenses with a risk of recidivism were excluded from the target."

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