He invited chiefs of the country’s top six business conglomerates including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong to Cheong Wa Dae to express his gratitude for their job creation efforts and to seek further efforts.
Moon’s meeting with Lee came just three days after the President pardoned his ousted and jailed predecessor Park Geun-Hye. Given that the Samsung chief served a prison term and was released on parole in August due to his involvement in the 2016 influence-peddling scandal of Park, the meeting and Park’s pardon combined are interpreted as Moon’s move to help the ruling bloc gain the support of conservative voters ahead of next year’s presidential election.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Moon had lunch with Lee, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo and KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo at the presidential office and thanked the business leaders for their promises to create 179,000 jobs over the next three years.
“The six groups have promised that they will create nearly 180,000 jobs for young people and provide support for job training,” Moon said during the luncheon. “With those pledges, businesses can secure talented workforces and jobseekers will have broader opportunities to pursue their dreams. I want to express my gratitude for the companies’ decisions.
“Basically, creating jobs is the role of businesses and the government’s role is providing maximum support,” Moon said, asking for stronger partnerships between the private and public sectors to create jobs.
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a luncheon with the leaders of six conglomerates at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. From left are POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Moon. Yonhap
From September, the six conglomerates have signed respective agreements with the government on job creation. Through the program, KT pledged to create 12,000 jobs, Samsung Electronics 30,000, LG Group 39,000, SK Group 27,000, POSCO Group 25,000 and Hyundai Motor Group 46,000.
Moon met with the leaders of Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and LG in June, but Lee was absent at the time because he was serving a prison term after being found guilty of bribing Park and her confidant, Choi Soon-Sil.
During the June meeting, SK Group Chairman Chey asked Moon to pardon the Samsung vice chairman, citing his contributions to the country’s economy, and Lee was released on parole on Aug. 13. Although the Ministry of Justice is in charge of granting paroles, it is believed that the presidential office and the ministry shared a consensus on Lee’s release.
Monday’s meeting came amid a political backlash from both the ruling and opposition blocs against the President’s decision to pardon Park. The revelation of the former president’s scandals triggered massive candlelit protests calling for her to step down, which paved the way for the liberal Moon administration to take power. As a result, the minor progressive Justice Party claimed Moon’s decision was a “betrayal of the candlelight spirit.”
The pardon also left the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) in an awkward position. The party’s presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol led the investigation into the corruption scandal surrounding Park, while the party is still widely supported by people loyal to the ousted leader. Moon’s amnesty for Park could rattle the unity of the conservative party against the ruling party before the presidential election, according to pundits.
Against this backdrop, Moon’s meeting with Lee and Park’s pardon are widely interpreted as gestures of reconciliation to those involved in the scandal.
Since Lee was released on parole instead of being pardoned, liberal civic groups have claimed that his business activities at Samsung Electronics are illegal. However, as Moon invited Lee to Cheong Wa Dae and recognized his business efforts, pundits say the invitation has an effect similar to a pardon.
“Along with former President Park’s pardon, Monday’s meeting seems to be Moon’s effort to pursue unity within the public, which can be a boost for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the election,” said Eom Gyeong-Yeong, director of the Zeitgeist Institute, a private political think tank.
“Though Lee was excluded from the recent pardon list, the invitation acknowledged Lee’s free activities at Samsung Electronics, which can avoid legal controversies. Since one of the topics for next year is economic recovery from the pandemic, the President’s effort to pay more attention to the economy and job market can be an indirect assist to the DPK.”
President Moon Jae-in and leaders of six conglomerates pose after their luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. From left are POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong, Moon, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog
