Citizens compete for tickets to sentencing hearing for Samsung heir

Aug 23, 2017, 09:00 am

A notice board instructing the place to apply for tickets to the hearing for Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong./ Photographed by Bae Ji-yoon

By AsiaToday reporter Bae Ji-yoon

Nearly 500 citizens flocked to the Seoul Court to apply tickets to the upcoming sentencing hearing for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and former Samsung Group executives, which is scheduled to take place on Friday. The 417th Supreme Court, where Lee's trial will be held, has 150 seats, but a big crowd was gathered because only 30 seats are available for the general public.

The court held a drawing on Tuesday morning to select those who can attend the hearing. Among 500 people, there were reporters, Samsung Electronics executives, supporters of former president Park Geun-hye, and ordinary citizens. A court official selected about 30 people for the tickets in the presence of police officers.

Apart from 30 seats, the rest were reserved for those involved in the case, reporters and others. The drawing registered a competition rate of 15.1 applicants for a ticket, much higher than that of former president Park Geun-hye's first trial.

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Reporters and citizens wait to apply for tickets to the upcoming sentencing hearing for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and former Samsung Group executives on Tuesday, at 8:30 am./ Photographed by Bae Ji-yoon

"I came here at 6:30 am from Yongin of Gyeonggi-do in order to see the trial in person. I almost gave up because my number was 1. I'm so happy to win the ticket," said Kim Jong-woo, a 73-year-old citizen who was the first to win the ticket.

"My mother was interested in this trial. I came here as my mother said watching the historic trial will be a good experience for me," said Kim Ji-hyun, a 18-year-old high school student from Seoul.

"I came here after opening a hospital in Gangwon-do. Regardless of whether the court will give the guilty verdict or not, the result will reveal the present government's double sides," said Kim, a 58-year-old citizen who asked for anonymity.

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Reporters and citizens wait to apply for tickets to the upcoming sentencing hearing for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and former Samsung Group executives on Tuesday./ Photographed by Bae Ji-yoon

Some of them raised their voices in criticism of the trial. Lee Man-sin, a 63-year-old Samsung SDI fired worker, said, "I worked for Samsung for 22 years, but has been fired while forming a labor union. Lee Jae-yong's 12-year sentence is too light. I hope he gets punished more severely."

Before the drawing, a citizen criticized, "Explain why only 30 seats are available if the court has 150 seats. There used to be about 70 seats available traditionally." In response, a court official said, "We have reduced the number of seats due to security and maintenance issues."

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Reporters and citizens wait to apply for tickets to the upcoming sentencing hearing for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and former Samsung Group executives on Tuesday./ Photographed by Bae Ji-yoon