With South Korea's Liberation Day approaching on August 15, President Jae-Myung Lee has decided to grant pardons to key figures, including former senior executives of Samsung's Future Strategy Office. This move is widely seen by the South Korean industry as a temporary resolution to the judicial crisis that has troubled Samsung Electronics for over a decade.
Samsung executives escape decade-long legal shadow
According to South Korean media outlets, including JoongAng Ilbo and Newspim, the pardoned individuals include former top officials from Samsung's Future Strategy Office who were previously investigated, prosecuted, and convicted alongside Samsung Electronics Chairman Jae-Yong Lee.
Around a decade ago, several Samsung executives were sentenced to prison terms due to bribery charges linked to former President Geun-Hye Park, involving requests for assistance in Samsung's succession planning. These sentences were finalized around 2021. Although many were paroled by March 2022, their civil rights had not yet been restored.
In 2022, Jae-Yong Lee was pardoned by then-President Suk-Yeol Yoon on Liberation Day, regaining his civil rights. President Lee's current pardon effectively resolves the prolonged judicial turmoil stemming from Park's administration, which has impacted Samsung for more than a decade.
The pardons also extend to numerous individuals involved in the Samsung C&T merger case who have received clemency.
SK Group leadership benefits from clemency
Relatives of SK Group chairman Tae-Won Chey were also pardoned, including his cousin and the brother of Chang-Won Choi, chairman of the SK Supex Council, as well as former SK Networks chairman Shin-Won Choi.
The latter was serving a two-year and six-month sentence for embezzlement and breach of trust amounting to approximately KRW223.5 billion (US$160.9 million) across six SK subsidiaries. His remaining sentence has now been waived, and his civil rights restored.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
