Deputy Justice Minister Lee Jin-su: “I’ve never received a request for Lee Hwa-young’s parole ... Lee Hwa-young also fails to meet the legal requirements”

[Financial News] Acting Justice Minister Lee Jin-su said there had been no inquiries or requests from the Blue House or ruling-party officials, among others, regarding parole for Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor for peace of Gyeonggi Province. He made clear that Lee was not even eligible for parole consideration, as the legal requirements were not currently met.
At a National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Justice by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 8th, acting Minister Lee was asked by Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party, “Have you ever received an inquiry or request about parole from Lee’s side, ruling-party officials, the presidential office, or others?” He replied, “No.”
Asked whether Lee was currently being considered for parole, acting Minister Lee said, “Lee does not meet the legal requirements, so is not eligible.” Lee, who serves as vice minister of justice, chairs the Parole Board.
In a subsequent question from Ju Jin-woo of the People Power Party, acting Minister Lee said Lee had received two sentences, explaining, “To meet the basic requirements, at least one-third of each fixed-term sentence must be served, but that requirement is not currently met.”
Earlier, attorney Kim Gwang-min, who represents Lee, reportedly said that he had conveyed Lee’s wish to seek parole to President Lee Jae-myung’s side through several channels. The previous day, Kim wrote on Facebook, “It is far more severe and cruel that, after concluding that the Cash-for-summit scandal was fabricated, the person now in the fifth year of imprisonment over that very case is being thoroughly neglected.”
Lee is serving a finalized sentence of seven years and eight months in prison for, among other charges, accepting bribes worth hundreds of millions of won from the Ssangbangwool Group and conspiring in an $8 million remittance to North Korea.
Questions also continued at the audit about the fact-finding investigation into the Cash-for-summit scandal and other matters, and the possibility of prosecutors dropping charges in cases involving President Lee.
Yoon asked for acting Prosecution Agency chief Lee Jeong-hyeon’s position on the possibility of reviewing whether to drop charges depending on the results of the fact-finding investigation. Acting Minister Lee replied, “I think the comment was about a hypothetical situation.”
Acting Minister Lee also rejected the suggestion that the Ministry of Justice’s Committee on Respect for Human Rights in the Prosecution Service and the Future and the fact-finding team were working with their conclusions already decided. He explained, “The prosecution service has faced a great deal of criticism over the course of reaching this point, where it is being dismantled after 78 years. We are carrying out this process because we cannot move forward without accurately examining problems in the investigative process.”
The afternoon questioning also saw continued debate over the scope of the Future Committee’s work. Acting Minister Lee reiterated, “The steps taken afterward will depend on what facts emerge from the fact-finding team’s work. The team is not conducting its work to reach a conclusion that has already been decided.”
[email protected] Choi Eun-sol Reporter