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Former president Lee Myung-bak, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for embezzlement, embezzlement and bribery, will receive an amnesty after serving nearly four years, South Korea’s justice ministry said.
President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on Tuesday the amnesty of Lee, 81, in the name of promoting national unity, even though many South Koreans still oppose the move. Lee Myung-bak is one of more than 1,300 people who will be granted amnesty on Wednesday.
Lee Myung-bak led South Korea from 2008 to 2013, having previously served as mayor of Seoul and a high-profile executive at Hyundai Group’s construction arm. He is South Korea’s first president with a business background and the fourth former leader to be imprisoned since South Korea’s transition to democracy in 1987.
Lee Myung-bak was convicted of seven counts in 2018, including accepting bribes, abusing his power and embezzling public funds. In addition to being sentenced to 15 years in prison at the first instance, he was also fined 11 million U.S. dollars. He is accused of taking $10 million in bribes from a string of politicians, institutions and companies, including Samsung, South Korea’s largest conglomerate.
Due to his deteriorating health, his imprisonment was suspended at his request in June 2022. His successor, Park Geun-hye, was impeached in 2017 over a corruption scandal and later jailed. She was pardoned by Yoon’s liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, in late 2021.
Lee Myung-bak was once a symbol of the Korean rags-to-riches story. He headed Hyundai Engineering and Construction in the 1960s and gained fame as Seoul’s mayor for restoring the Cheonggyecheon stream in the heart of the South Korean capital.
But his five-year presidency has been overshadowed by protests and inter-Korean tensions. He took a hard line against his communist northern neighbor.
Several South Korean presidents have faced investigations into corruption, cronyism and embezzlement since leaving office. But each of the convicted former leaders, including military generals, was granted amnesty after serving time in prison.
It was widely expected that Lee Myung-bak would receive an amnesty. Many of Yoon’s aides previously worked for Lee, although the current president, a former attorney general, rose to prominence when he successfully prosecuted both Park Geun-hye and Lee.
Yoon Suk-yue, who took office in May, has also taken a tough stance on North Korea. North Korea has been more aggressive in developing its weapons program recently. On Monday, Pyongyang flew five drones into the airspace of its southern neighbor — including over Seoul and other cities — for about five hours.
South Korea responded by sending its own drones over North Korea for the first time, but the South’s military was forced to apologize on Tuesday for failing to shoot down any of the intruding drones. The aerial incursion raised concerns for Seoul’s air defenses against the backdrop of the threat posed by Pyongyang’s growing missile capabilities.
Yoon Suk-yue vowed on Tuesday to strengthen South Korea’s anti-drone strike capabilities, announcing the formation of a specialized drone unit.
Translator/Japanese style