Former South Korean President Appeals Against 15-Year Prison Sentence

Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

Seoul District Public Prosecutors' Office charged former President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea with bribery, embezzlement, and tax evasion on October 5. A week later on October 12, Lee decided to appeal against the court verdict that sentenced him to jail for 15 years with a fine of $11.5 million. The prosecution has also appealed because some charges against Lee were found not guilty in the first hearing.

Lee, a 76-year-old conservative politician, was a Seoul Mayor and Hyundai Group executive before serving as president from 2008 to 2013. His handwritten statement, posted on Facebook shortly after the warrant was issued, demonstrated his frustration with the situation and a sense of self-reproach. However, Lee denied all charges against him.

Lee was convicted of embezzling 35 billion won (USD $33 million) through a private auto-parts company called DAS. Though Lee claimed that the company belonged to his older brother, the court decided that Lee was the real owner. Lee was also found guilty of siphoning money from the country’s intelligence agency and releasing the Samsung Chairman, Lee Kun-hee, with a presidential pardon. Though Lee was not present for his verdict due to his poor health conditions, he claimed that the allegations were politically motivated by the current President Moon Jae-in and his progressive democratic party.

This is the second time President Moon has brought corruption investigations upon former presidents. Lee’s successor, Park Geun-hye, 66, became the first president to have been impeached after a major corruption scandal in 2015. She is currently serving a 24-year jail sentence and her party has since lost power significantly. Ironically, Park promised to battle high-level of corruption in government during her presidential campaign in 2012.

In 2009, Lee launched a corruption investigation into former liberal president, Roh Moo-hyun, who committed suicide soon after. Lee claims that President Moon, Roh’s chief of staff at the time, has brought such charges against him as a form of revenge. President Moon has denied these assertions.

Lee’s attorney, Kang Hoon, stated that Lee was heavily disappointed at the court’s verdict and viewed an appeal as a lost cause. However, as the former president of the country, Lee has once again decided to trust the judicial system of South Korea and appeal the court decision.