Lee Jae Yong: Leaders reportedly likely to reject pardon request for Samsung heir

Some groups want Lee Jae Yong to be pardoned by the South Korean government because they think as the Samsung chief, he will be able to help solve some of the pressing issues in the tech world, especially about chip shortage.

Business leaders’ submit letter for pardon recommendation

On April 26, a group of business leaders submitted a letter to the Blue House in an effort to free the jailed Samsung heir. The petition was said to have been brought to the president’s office by the people led by CJ Group’s chief, Sohn Kyung Shik.

In their letter, the businessmen wrote, "With our economy going through tough times and the competition for the global semiconductor market heating up, the pardon of Vice Chairman Lee is increasingly necessary."

The submission of the petition early this week was in the planning since the previous week. At that time, the group was still gathering to unite and work together so Lee Jae Yong may be pardoned and quickly get back to his work as the Samsung head.

Response to the petition

The petition finally reached the hands of the officials at the Blue House, but it was reported that President Moon Jae In may not issue the pardon that the business leaders were requesting for Lee Jae Yong.

As per The Korea Herald, this is because the president has maintained a prudent approach to issuing pardons, and there is no exception even for the Samsung vice chairman who needs to complete a two and a half years jail sentence for bribery.

“We never discussed the issue and have no plans to do so for now,” a Cheong Wa Dae official reportedly told the press on Tuesday after the petition was filed.

It was said that former leaders of South Korea usually pardons chaebol owners because of their huge roles in boosting the country’s economy. Other times, they may also be involved in high-profile talks such as hosting an important event like the Olympics, and in these instances, they are granted clemency.

It was explained that Lee Jae Yong’s case is different because it involves serious cases of embezzlement, breach of trust, and bribery. Moreover, Moon vowed not to abuse his clemency power for grave offenses, as mentioned. Meanwhile, the president has not pardoned anyone yet so far.