With President Moon Jae-in hinting that he could be considering releasing imprisoned Samsung leader Lee Jae-Yong, attention is being drawn as to whether Lee will receive a special pardon or be paroled.
President Moon had a luncheon meeting with leaders of the country’s top-four conglomerates at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday, in recognition of their efforts that made his visit to the United States ― and summit with U.S. President Joe Biden ― a success.
While the chairmen of SK, Hyundai Motor and LG attended the meeting, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-Nam was there in lieu of the Samsung leader who is serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term after being found guilty of bribery in a corruption trial involving impeached and jailed former President Park Geun-Hye.
During the meeting, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won indirectly referred to the Samsung leader, asking President Moon to “please consider what the heads of five business organizations have said,” according to Cheong Wa Dae officials. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-Nam also stressed the need for Lee to return to the semiconductor giant, saying, “It is important in the semiconductor business to make decisions on large scale investments and these decisions can only be made rapidly with a leader.”
In response, Moon didn’t directly mention pardoning Lee, but said: “I understand that the economic situation is developing differently than before and that a bold role by companies is required.”
Industry officials said it was worth noting that President Moon’s comments have of late turned positive. “Including Wednesday’s meeting, it appears that President Moon is paying attention to requests to pardon the Samsung chief. Though nothing has been decided yet, it is a pretty encouraging sign,” an industry official said.
The change in direction was first seen in the President’s May 10 speech and press question and answer session, when he responded to a question about Lee by saying, “It is clear that we need to increase our competitiveness in the semiconductor sector further as the competition is intensifying globally. I will listen to the public consensus and make a decision.”
Observers said Moon has begun showing a positive attitude toward a presidential pardon for Lee because the race for leadership in the semiconductor industry is getting fiercer. If a pardon is granted, they postulate that Lee will be released on the August 15 Liberation Day, given there have been many examples of previous presidents issuing special pardons on that day.
Another possibility is that the Samsung leader will be granted parole, the possibility of which recently rose when Justice Minister Park Beom-kye approved of a plan to ease the criteria for the screening of this last month.
The minister may begin approving parole for inmates who have served 60 percent of their sentence ― after the suitable screening ― starting from July. Despite the law allowing prisoners who have served more than a third of their time to be eligible for parole, the justice ministry’s internal rules only grant parole to prisoners who have served more than 80 percent.
While the two scenarios are currently being reviewed by Cheong Wa Dae and ruling party officials, the country’s business and political circles are pushing more for a presidential pardon.
“If a pardon is granted, then Lee will be positioned to contribute more to the country’s economy. If, however, he is freed on parole, then that will leave him facing a lot of legal restrictions including making business trips overseas,” an official said.
