Former left-wing lawmaker convicted of instigating rebellion to be paroled

Dec 24, 2021, 08:48 am

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Former Unified Progressive Party lawmaker Lee Seok-ki enters the Supreme Court in Seoul in January 2015./ Photographed by Lee Byung-hwa

AsiaToday reporter Heo Kyung-joon

Lee Seok-ki, the convicted former member of the now-disbanded minor opposition Unified Progressive Party, is expected to be released on parole Friday. He has been serving a 9-year prison sentence for instigating a rebellion, in violation of the National Security Act.

The Ministry of Justice recently reviewed and decided to release the former left-wing lawmaker, according to political circles Thursday. He was reportedly excluded from a list of special pardons, but was included in the list of parole. Lee is scheduled to be released on parole on Christmas eve at 10 a.m.

His release was reportedly decided by a justice ministry parole review committee Monday. “It is difficult to confirm whether he will be released on parole because it is personal information,” said the justice ministry.

Lee met the parole review requirements by serving more than 60 percent of his sentence. Parole is decided by a majority vote by the parole review committee, after determining whether a person is eligible in consideration of the risk of recidivism and criminal motives. Then the release is determined after final approval by the justice ministry.

As Lee’s release has been revealed, industry observers speculate the possibility of a special pardon of former Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye. Lee Seok-ki has been mentioned as a subject for a special pardon along with the two Presidents and former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook.

Lee was indicted in 2013 on charges of conspiring with members of a clandestine organization to topple the government if a war with North Korea broke out. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail in 2014, but a high court commuted the term to 9 years, which was later confirmed by the Supreme Court in January 2015.

He was also sentenced to an additional eight months in prison for embezzlement of state election funds provided to politicians while running an election campaigning agency.

In June 2019, Lee and other leaders of the left wing party filed for a retrial of the North Korea-affiliated treason case, claiming the ruling was rigged by misleading evidence and corrupt ties between the judiciary and then-Park Geun-hye administration. However, the Supreme Court dismissed it last October.

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