DAEJEON– A former left-wing lawmaker convicted of plotting a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea was released on parole Friday.
Lee Seok-ki, the former member of the now-disbanded minor opposition Unified Progressive Party, was released from a detention center in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10 a.m., more than eight years after he was imprisoned in September 2013.
He was welcomed by about 300 supporters waiting for him in front of the prison since the early morning.
Upon his release, Lee slammed the government’s announcement that came earlier in the day it granted a special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, who is currently serving a 22-year prison term for far-reaching corruption, citing national unity and Park’s poor health.
“I’m not sure whether fairness and justice exist (in this country),” said Lee, who was sent to prison under the Park administration.
“Barbaric politics like locking people up because of a few words should disappear,” he added.
Lee’s release was reportedly decided by a justice ministry parole review committee Monday. He served most of his prison sentence of a combined nine years and eighth months set until May 2023.
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 prison in 2014, but a high court commuted the term to nine years, which was later confirmed by the Supreme Court in January 2015.
He was later given an additional eight-month prison term for embezzling hundreds of million won from a company during his campaign for municipal and gubernatorial elections held in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Source: Yonhap News Agency