"Abandoned in Prison for Five Years"... Lee Hwa-young's Side Urges President Lee to Grant Parole

Attorney Kim Kwang-min: "Entering his fifth year in prison... Extremely angry with President Lee"
"We conveyed our position through several channels, but there has been no movement... It is hard to wait any longer"

Former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor for Peace Lee Hwayeong answers lawmakers’ questions during a parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Justice and other agencies at the National Assembly on Oct. 14, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Lee Hwa-young, former vice governor for peace of Gyeonggi Province, is serving a prison sentence finalized in connection with the Ssangbangwool remittance-to-North Korea case. His side has publicly called on President Lee Jae-myung to grant him parole, expressing dissatisfaction.

Attorney Kim Kwang-min, who represents Lee, shared on social media on October 7 a media interview in which he said Lee was seeking parole from President Lee, and stated his position on the matter.

In the interview, Kim said Lee was entering his fifth year in prison and was "extremely angry with President Lee." He added that they had requested parole from the president's side through several channels but had seen little movement, saying, "It is hard to keep waiting any longer."

After the interview, some criticized Kim for going too far in his remarks. In response, he said, "Isn't the reality of having completely abandoned someone who has been imprisoned for five years over the very case that was declared fabricated far more extreme and cruel?" He added, "It is time to face what the real cause for outrage is and what truly constitutes 'going too far.'"

In a separate post, Kim criticized prosecutors for walking out of court during the trial over the remittance-to-North Korea case, saying in effect that "Lee Hwa-young, who is fighting for the truth, remains locked in a cold prison," and argued that the facts of the case must be established.

This is not the first time Lee's side has called for his release. On September 12, Kim also wrote on social media, "If the remittance to North Korea really was fabricated, shouldn't Lee Hwa-young be released immediately before anyone calls for the withdrawal of the indictment?" The following day, he referred directly to President Lee and posted about how the remittance-to-North Korea case could be defended while Lee remained in prison.

Lee was indicted on charges including accepting bribes worth hundreds of millions of won and illegal political funds from Ssangbangwool, and conspiring in an $8 million remittance to North Korea. In June 2025, the Supreme Court finalized prison terms of seven years for bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act, among other charges, and eight months for violating the Political Funds Act. A fine of 250 million won and an additional collection of 325.95 million won were also finalized.

Lee has been in custody since late September 2022. Separately, trials are also underway in cases related to the remittance to North Korea, including a third-party bribery case in which President Lee was indicted alongside him.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.