Convicted ex-Gyeonggi vice governor’s lawyer publicly seeks parole from president
Version 2: Chosun Ilbo reported that Lee had previously sought a pardon and applied for suspension of his sentence, and Newsis reported in a headline that opposition figure Na Kyung-won said the demand has put the president in a dilemma.
In short
Lawyer Kim Kwang-min said on 7 October that Lee Hwa-young, a former Gyeonggi Province vice governor serving seven years and eight months, is asking President Lee Jae-myung for parole and is “very angry” that requests sent through several channels have brought no movement. Kim made the demand public on social media after criticism that an interview’s wording was excessive, and argued that leaving Lee imprisoned for five years over a case said to be fabricated is more severe. No response from the president’s side has been reported.
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Lawyer Kim Kwang-min said on 7 October that Lee Hwa-young, a former Gyeonggi Province vice governor for peace, is asking President Lee Jae-myung for parole and is “very angry” that requests made through several channels have brought no movement. Kim shared a media interview on social media that afternoon and said it is “hard to wait any longer,” according to Yonhap, Asia Economy, Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo. Korea Economic Daily reported the public demand earlier in the day, and Chosun Ilbo later reported that Lee is in the fifth year of his sentence. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
Lee was convicted of taking bribes in excess of 100 million won from Ssangbangwool Group and conspiring in an $8 million remittance to North Korea. Yonhap, Asia Economy, Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo reported that the Supreme Court confirmed a sentence of seven years and eight months; Asia Economy said this combined seven years for bribery and foreign exchange violations with eight months for political fund violations, alongside a fine of 250 million won and forfeiture of 325.95 million won. Yonhap and Maeil Business reported that an additional four months was imposed in June over perjury claims tied to a “salmon drinking party.” Asia Economy said Lee has been serving his term since late September 2022, and that he was also indicted with President Lee on a third-party bribery charge over trip costs Ssangbangwool allegedly paid, a case Hankook Ilbo said is in a first-instance trial. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
After some criticized the interview’s wording as excessive, Kim wrote that concluding the North Korea remittance case was fabricated while “thoroughly neglecting” the man imprisoned over it for five years was “much more severe and cruel.” He said prosecutors who collectively walked out of the courtroom in that case faced no consequence, while Lee, who “disputes the truth,” remains in a “cold prison,” and that the truth must be revealed. Yonhap, Asia Economy, Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo carried the remarks. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Asia Economy reported the demand was not the first: Kim wrote on 12 September that if the remittance case was truly fabricated, Lee should be released before any calls to drop the charges, and posted about the president the next day. Hankook Ilbo reported that letters were sent to the president and a parole request delivered to the presidential office’s senior civil affairs secretary’s office, and that Kim cited the release of other figures, including former officials Kim Yong and Jung Jin-sang and Daejang-dong defendants, while Lee remains in custody. Kim told Hankook Ilbo the demand was not a threat of further action, saying, “It is not that I will play a card if they do not do it.” Chosun Ilbo reported in an editorial that Lee had sought a pardon last year and applied to the Justice Ministry for suspension of his sentence, without success. Hankook Ilbo noted that the Democratic Party set up a special committee in April to investigate claims that the prosecution’s case was fabricated. [ 4 , 6 , 9 ]
Chosun Ilbo reported that political and legal circles interpret the demand as pressure on the president, who was indicted as an accomplice in the related case. Newsis reported in a headline that opposition figure Na Kyung-won said the president is in a dilemma over the parole demand; the article text in that document concerned an unrelated satellite launch. [ 8 , 10 ]
Why it matters
The demand puts a politically sensitive case directly to the president, who was indicted with Lee on a related third-party bribery charge that remains in a first-instance trial. The lawyer’s public pressure ties the parole request to the Democratic Party’s claim that the North Korea remittance investigation was fabricated, an argument the party has pursued through a parliamentary special committee. The documents show no change in the government’s position.
Key facts
- Lawyer Kim Kwang-min posted on social media on 7 October sharing an interview in which he said Lee Hwa-young is “very angry” at President Lee Jae-myung. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
- Kim said parole requests had been passed to the president’s side through several channels but there had been no movement, and that it is “hard to wait any longer.” [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Lee was convicted of taking bribes in excess of 100 million won from Ssangbangwool Group and conspiring in an $8 million remittance to North Korea; he is serving a confirmed term of seven years and eight months. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
- The Supreme Court also confirmed a fine of 250 million won and forfeiture of 325.95 million won, according to Asia Economy and Hankook Ilbo. [ 4 , 6 ]
- Yonhap and Maeil Business reported an additional four months was imposed in June over perjury claims tied to a “salmon drinking party.” [ 3 , 5 ]
- Kim rejected criticism of his wording, saying the reality of a man imprisoned for five years over a case said to be fabricated is “much more severe and cruel.” [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Lee was also indicted with President Lee on a third-party bribery charge over North Korea trip costs that Ssangbangwool allegedly paid, and that case is in a first-instance trial. [ 4 , 6 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reported Lee sought a pardon last year and applied to the Justice Ministry for suspension of sentence, without success. [ 9 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lawyer Kim Kwang-min publicly said on 7 October that Lee Hwa-young is asking President Lee Jae-myung for parole and is angered that requests brought no movement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
- Kim said the parole request was conveyed through several channels but there had been no movement. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Lee is serving a confirmed seven-year-eight-month sentence in the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance and bribery case. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]
- The Supreme Court confirmed a fine of 250 million won and forfeiture of 325.95 million won. [ 4 , 6 ]
- An additional four months was imposed in June over perjury claims tied to a “salmon drinking party,” according to Yonhap and Maeil Business. [ 3 , 5 ]
- Kim argued that the situation of a man imprisoned for five years over a case said to be fabricated is more severe than the wording of his interview, after criticism that his expression was excessive. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Lee was also indicted with President Lee on a third-party bribery charge over North Korea trip costs, and the case is in a first-instance trial. [ 4 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether President Lee or the presidential office has responded to the parole demand. No document reports any reaction from the president’s side; the account of the request so far comes from Lee’s lawyer.
- The exact channels used for the parole request. Hankook Ilbo alone specifies letters to the president and a delivery to the presidential office’s senior civil affairs secretary’s office, while other outlets only say several channels were used.
- When the Supreme Court confirmed the sentence. Asia Economy says the confirmation came last June and breaks the term into separate charges, while other outlets give no confirmation date.
- Whether Kim plans any further action beyond public statements. Kim told Hankook Ilbo the parole demand was not a threat to take further steps.
- The full content and context of Na Kyung-won’s reported comment. Newsis carries the comment in its headline, while the article text in the document concerns an unrelated satellite launch.
- Whether the demand will affect the parole process or its prospects. No document explains the parole procedure or predicts an outcome.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Korea Economic Daily reports that Lee Hwa-young’s side says it is “hard to wait any longer” and publicly demands parole from President Lee Jae-myung. [ 1 ]
- Korea Economic Daily follows with a report on the fallout of the parole demand and the lawyer’s statement that Lee is “very angry” at the president. [ 2 ]
- Yonhap reports the lawyer’s afternoon social media posts and interview, including that the request was sent through several channels with no movement. [ 3 ]
- Asia Economy reports the demand and notes it is not the first, citing the lawyer’s 12 September social media post. [ 4 ]
- Maeil Business reports the demand and the lawyer’s response to criticism of his wording. [ 5 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports letters to the president and delivery of the parole request to the presidential office’s civil affairs office, and that the lawyer said he was not threatening further action. [ 6 ]
- Chosun Ilbo publishes a summary report on the demand. [ 7 ]
- Newsis reports in a headline that Na Kyung-won said the president is in a dilemma over the parole demand. [ 8 ]
- Chosun Ilbo publishes an editorial saying Lee sought a pardon last year and applied to the Justice Ministry for suspension of sentence. [ 9 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports that political and legal circles interpret the demand as pressure on the president, who was indicted as an accomplice in the related case. [ 10 ]