Officials Found Guilty of Corruption Not Languishing in Jail

Since the new Kim Dae Jung administration started last February, governmental high officials arrested on charges of corruption have reached 29 individuals.
According to the Ministry of Justice, on November 9, 29 former or current governmental officials above the third level in government ranking, were indicted with 26 of them sentenced to prison. However, so far 17 have already been released either on probation or they received bail pending an appeal. The released include Kang Kyong Sik, the former vice prime minister in charge of economics, whom many feel led the country into the financial disaster that precipated the International Monetary Fund bailout last year. He is out on bail awaiting his final appeal decision.
Among them, only 2 were sentenced to 3 or more years of imprisonment, and 11 were put on probation.
In terms of court-ordered fines, 16 were ordered to pay 8,000-35,000 dollars: a figure far lower than the amounts they had collected in bribes and kickbacks.
The Agency of National Security Planning had the most high-ranking officials prosecuted with eight followed by the Ministry of Information and Communications with three.