Ministry releases SK No. 2 on parole

The Justice Ministry on Friday released exemplary prisoners on parole, including the top executive member of a local conglomerate, according to officials.

“I will provide whatever support I can to revitalize the economy and create jobs,” said Chey Jae-won, the vice chairman of the nation’s third-largest conglomerate SK Group, upon leaving Gangneung Prison on Friday morning.

Chey was one of 574 exemplary prisoners to be released on parole that day. He was the only top corporate executive member among them.

SK Group vice chairman Chey Jae-won on Friday leaves Gangneung Prison on parole. Yonhap
Clause 72 of the criminal law states that the ministry may select individuals from among those who have served over one-third of their total term or 20 years of their life sentence, and release them on parole through administrative disposition.

The system is different from a pardon which, upon presidential authority, fundamentally annuls the remaining period of a criminal sentence.

So far this year, the ministry has discharged 4,052 prisoners on parole. The yearly total stood at 5,507 last year and 5,394 in 2014, according to officials.

The SK vice chairman was handed down 3 1/2 years in jail by the Supreme Court in February 2014 for his involvement in embezzling some 46.5 billion won ($41.5 million) of company funds. He was to serve out his full sentence coming October.

The parole list excluded LIG NEX1 vice chairman Koo Bon-sang, who received a four-year jail term in 2012 for issuing a fake corporate bill.

By Bae Hyun-jeong (tellme@heraldcorp.com)

(责任编辑：行业动态)