Lee Hwa-young 'very angry' at president, acting justice minister says parole conditions unmet

Acting Justice Minister Lee Jin-su said Thursday that Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor for peace of Gyeonggi Province, has not yet met the legal requirements for parole. His remarks came in response to questions at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee national audit of the Ministry of Justice, following reports that Lee's side had recently been publicly demanding her release on parole.

During the audit, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun asked whether Lee was being considered for parole. Lee Jin-su said she was not, as she "has not met the legal requirements."

Lee Hwa-young's attorney, Kim Gwang-min, recently claimed on social media that Lee had demanded parole from Cheong Wa Dae and that, as she enters her fifth year of imprisonment, she is "very angry" at President Lee. The claims spread widely through media coverage.

Yoon asked, "If the indictment was fabricated, shouldn't she be released immediately? The ruling party's own logic of a fabricated indictment has come back as a demand for Lee Hwa-young's release. What do you make of that?" Lee Jin-su replied that "judicial procedures are in place."

When Yoon asked whether there was any basis to feel the indictment had been fabricated, Lee Jin-su said the matter was being handled by the investigation team under the Committee for Respecting Prosecutors' Human Rights and the Future.

Fellow People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo asked whether parole was possible for Lee Hwa-young. Lee Jin-su said she had received two separate sentences and that "the basic requirement is that more than one-third of each fixed-term prison sentence must have been served. That condition has not been met."

Joo pressed further, saying, "Is there any precedent for granting parole while a co-defendant — the president — is still on trial? I have never seen it in practice. Even if she were to meet the one-third threshold, wouldn't granting parole while a co-defendant is being tried be completely out of the question?"

Lee Jin-su replied, "I am simply stating that the basic requirements have not been met."