Over 66 pct of S. Koreans in Favor of Granting Parole to Jailed Samsung Heir: Poll

SEOUL, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 66 percent of South Koreans support the idea of granting parole to Lee Jae-yong, the jailed de facto leader of Samsung Group, a poll showed Monday.

In a poll of 500 people aged 18 and older nationwide conducted by Realmeter on Friday, 66.6 percent of the respondents said they think Lee should be released from prison as part of efforts to revitalize the national economy.

Only 28.2 percent said he should not be allowed parole, as it could be seen as a special favor.

An overwhelming 93.6 percent of the respondents who identified themselves as supporters of the main opposition People Power Party were in favor of granting parole to Lee. Only 3.7 percent said they disagree.

A supermajority of nearly 80 percent of independent voters were also in favor of the move, but slightly more than half of the supporters of the liberal ruling Democratic Party, at 51.8 percent, were opposed to it.

The poll also showed that the support rate for Lee’s parole outweighed the opposition rate throughout all age brackets, with approval particularly higher among people aged 50 and above.

The poll came amid speculation that Lee may be granted presidential amnesty or parole on the upcoming Aug. 15 Liberation Day, an anniversary on which South Korea’s presidents have often used their right to grant special pardons as part of efforts for promoting national unity.

The vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co. was imprisoned in January in connection with a high-profile corruption scandal centered on the ousted former President Park Geun-hye.

He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in a retrial by the Seoul High Court for bribing Park and her longtime friend, Choi Soon-sil, to win government support for the smooth father-to-son transfer of managerial power of the conglomerate.

Given the prison time he has already served in the course of the judicial process, Lee will be a free man in July 2022 unless he is granted a pardon or commutation.

Calls for Lee’s pardon have been growing among local business communities and others.

But some observers said the Samsung heir is more likely to get parole, not a pardon, which requires presidential approval, thus risking political burden for the Moon Jae-in administration.

Rumors have swirled that Lee has been included in the justice ministry’ list of inmates to be reviewed for possible parole, though the ministry said it could not confirm it.

By the end of this month, Lee will complete 60 percent of his total jail term, making him eligible for parole reviews under relevant ministry regulations.

The poll had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

(Yonhap)