Ex-Samsung Chairman Lee pardoned
Published: 29 Dec. 2009, 22:35
Lee Kun-hee
Officials said the move was made to help bring Korea its first-ever Winter Olympics in 2018.
Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam announced the decision at a news conference. The pardon takes effect tomorrow.
This August, Lee, 67, was sentenced to a three-year suspended jail term and was fined 110 billion won ($95.5 million) for illegal bond dealings. During his 2008 trial, Lee voluntarily rescinded his rights and duties as an IOC member.
The Blue House and the Justice Ministry said sports diplomacy is crucial to Pyeongchang’s bid for the Winter Games.
Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province has already lost to Canada’s Vancouver and Russia’s Sochi in two previous attempts to host the Winter Games.
“Pyeongchang is making its bid for the third time, and the sports and business communities and Gangwon residents have strongly appealed that Lee be pardoned because it is crucial for him to work as an IOC member to bring the Winter Olympics to Korea,” President Lee Myung-bak was quoted as saying by his spokeswoman, Kim Eun-hye. “I have decided to grant the special pardon for the nation’s best interest.”
Kim said the president made a difficult decision after long and serious deliberations. “This pardon has a clear goal. It is to support Pyeongchang’s bid to win the Winter Olympics,” Kim said. “The president’s zero-tolerance toward corruption committed by public servants and business leaders during his term remains unchanged.”
The Justice Ministry also issued a press release explaining the background of the special pardon. “The competition to win the event will become fierce when the IOC holds the general assembly in early February of next year in Vancouver,” the ministry said.
“About a month is left ahead of the meeting, and Korea only has a single IOC member who can actively and aggressively lobby for the nation. Therefore, a need emerged to support Lee’s restoration of IOC membership, and the special pardon was granted for the sake of the nation.”
Athens taekwondo champion Moon Dae-sung is Korea’s incumbent member on the Olympics body.
Following the Supreme Court’s conviction of Lee’s financial crimes in August, he paid the 110 billion won fine in full in September. He also paid 46.5 billion won in evaded taxes.
“There is no guarantee that Lee’s IOC membership will be restored after the pardon, but he was to lose the position if not pardoned,” said Choi Gyo-il, director of the Justice Ministry’s Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Choi said the administration is aware of the repercussions if Korea still fails to win the bid even with the tycoon’s lobbying. “We are aware of that, but you can’t succeed if you are afraid of failure,” Choi said. “We made the decision to do our best.”
An executive of Samsung Group said, “We thank the government and Koreans that the special pardon was granted. Former Chairman Lee will do his best to meet the nation’s expectations to win the bid.”
The Justice Ministry said it was the first time that a special pardon was granted to a single convicted businessman. However, in April 1990, the government pardoned Kim Hyun-hui, a former North Korean agent who was sentenced to death for her role in the bombing of Korean Air flight 858 in 1987. The terrorist act killed 155 people aboard, and she had faced a trial in the South.
“We appreciate the government’s decision at this crucial time,” said Kim Man-ki, public affairs head of the Pyeongchang bid committee. “We will do our best to win the bid.”
Major business lobbies, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Korean Industries, issued statements yesterday urging the former Samsung chairman to bring the sports event to Korea.
Many, however, were disturbed by the administration’s unprecedented decision.
“Over the past two years, the administration’s top priority was the rich and the conglomerates, and once again a large business group’s interest was given priority,” said Democratic Party spokesman Noh Young-min.
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy issued a statement that called the special pardon an infringement upon equality before the law. “By granting the special pardon, the president made clear that Samsung and its former chairman Lee are above the law, equality and the values of our society,” the civic group said. “It was also confirmed that Samsung is above all conglomerates and Lee is above the president.”
By Ser Myo-ja [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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