Parole demand by jailed ex-official Lee Hwa-young sparks clash at Justice Ministry audit
In short
A parole demand by Lee Hwa-young (이화영), the former Gyeonggi vice governor jailed over the Ssangbangwool (쌍방울) remittances to North Korea, dominated the Justice Ministry audit on 8 October. People Power Party lawmakers said he was threatening President Lee Jae-myung, who is indicted in the same case. Acting justice minister Lee Jin-su (이진수) said Lee Hwa-young does not meet the legal requirements for parole review and that no parole request had come from the presidential office or the ruling camp.
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A demand for parole by Lee Hwa-young, the former Gyeonggi vice governor imprisoned over the Ssangbangwool remittances to North Korea, became the focus of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee's audit of the Justice Ministry on 8 October. People Power Party lawmakers said he was threatening President Lee Jae-myung, who is indicted as an accomplice in the same case. Lee Hwa-young had recently demanded parole publicly through his lawyer, Kukmin Ilbo reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Acting justice minister Lee Jin-su, the vice minister, said Lee Hwa-young has not served one third of his sentences, the basic requirement, and is not subject to parole review. He said he had received no parole request from the presidential office or the ruling camp. According to Kukmin Ilbo, Lee Hwa-young's 7-year-8-month sentence was finalised by the Supreme Court, and he received another 4 months at first instance in June in a perjury case. Asked when he would become eligible, Lee Jin-su cited practical issues arising from the two sentences and gave no direct answer. [ 1 , 2 ]
Joo Jin-woo of the People Power Party said Lee Hwa-young was threatening the sitting president from prison and that repeated visits to him by Democratic Party lawmakers amounted to aiding the destruction of evidence, Seoul Economic Daily reported. Kukmin Ilbo reported that Lee Hwa-young had 454 visits over 16 months from June last year to September. On 8 October Lee Hwa-young released a two-page statement from prison, saying that he felt frustrated and wronged that the truth had not been established despite what he called fabrication by the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office, and that he sympathised with the anguish of the president. [ 1 , 2 ]
Seoul Economic Daily reported that lawyer Kim Kwang-min, who had argued Lee Hwa-young's innocence and sought his parole, left for Singapore after saying on social media that he had heard a warning from the ruling camp not to overdo it. The People Power Party criticised this as an attempt to increase pressure. [ 2 ]
Democratic Party committee chair Seo Young-kyo (서영교) called the remittance case a fabricated investigation and indictment by the Yoon Suk Yeol government, and Progressive Party lawmaker Son Sol said prosecutors had held someone for 48 hours and made threats during the investigation. Asked by People Power Party lawmaker Park Hyung-soo (박형수), Lee Jin-su said he could state that he would not direct the cancellation of indictments while acting minister. The session opened with clashes over the chair's suspension of two opposition members' speaking rights, delaying the ministry report by about 40 minutes. [ 1 , 2 ]
On 9 October, People Power Party chief spokesperson Park Choong-kwon said a person sentenced to prison demanding a pardon or parole by threatening the president should not happen under the rule of law, calling it an improper deal. [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The dispute ties the parole question to the criminal case in which President Lee Jae-myung is indicted, and the opposition calls the parole demand a threat aimed at him. The ruling camp says the remittance case was fabricated, and a ministry committee is reviewing how prosecutors handled it, so the case remains a central point of conflict between the parties.
Key facts
- Lee Hwa-young's sentence of 7 years and 8 months in the North Korea remittance case was finalised by the Supreme Court, and in June he received an additional 4 months at first instance in a perjury case. [ 1 ]
- Acting justice minister Lee Jin-su said Lee Hwa-young has not served one third of his sentences, the basic requirement for parole, and is not subject to parole review. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Jin-su said he had received no parole request from the presidential office or ruling-camp figures. [ 1 , 2 ]
- People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo (주진우) said the parole demand amounts to threatening the president, who is indicted as an accomplice in the same case. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Hwa-young had 454 visits over 16 months from June last year to September, according to Kukmin Ilbo. [ 1 ]
- Lee Jin-su said he could state that he would not direct the cancellation of indictments while serving as acting minister. [ 1 ]
- Kim Kwang-min (김광민), a lawyer who had sought parole for Lee Hwa-young, left for Singapore after saying on social media he had been told by the ruling camp not to overdo it. [ 2 ]
- On 9 October, People Power Party chief spokesperson Park Choong-kwon (박충권) called seeking parole by threatening the president an improper deal. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lee Hwa-young, the former Gyeonggi vice governor, is serving a prison sentence over the Ssangbangwool remittances to North Korea and has demanded parole. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Acting justice minister Lee Jin-su told the 8 October audit that Lee Hwa-young does not meet the basic parole requirement of serving one third of his sentence and is not under parole review. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Lee Jin-su said no parole request had come from the presidential office or the ruling camp. [ 1 , 2 ]
- People Power Party lawmakers accused Lee Hwa-young of threatening President Lee Jae-myung with the parole demand. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- When Lee Hwa-young would become eligible for parole. Lee Jin-su did not answer directly, citing practical issues arising from the two separate sentences.
- Whether the parole demand is a threat against the president. This is the People Power Party's claim; Lee Hwa-young's statement expressed sympathy for the president, and the ruling camp says the case was fabricated.
- Whether ruling-camp figures warned lawyer Kim Kwang-min not to overdo it. This is Kim's own account on social media, reported by one outlet.
- Whether prosecutors made threats during the investigation. Progressive Party lawmaker Son Sol (손솔) made the claim; the documents give no response to it.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- 8 October: Kukmin Ilbo reports the parole dispute at the Justice Ministry audit. [ 1 ]
- 8 October: Seoul Economic Daily reports the clash, including lawyer Kim Kwang-min's departure for Singapore. [ 2 ]
- 9 October: Dong-A Ilbo reports People Power Party spokesperson Park Choong-kwon calling the parole demand an improper deal. [ 4 ]