Chinanews.com, December 27. At the end of 2022, after several twists and turns, the 81-year-old former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak finally entered President Yin Xiyue's New Year's amnesty list. He will end his prison life on the 28th and regain his freedom.

　　Why did Yin Xiyue, who personally sent Li Mingbo to prison, choose to pardon him at this time?

From the president to the prisoner, why can't Lee Myung-bak escape the fate of being liquidated after stepping down?

Who is the next turn of the "Cheong Wa Dae Curse"? Is there a solution?

Data map: Li Mingbo.

Amnesty at last

　　At the end of last year, Lee Myung-bak, who was imprisoned for one year, did not wait for the New Year's amnesty from then-President Moon Jae-in.

In May of this year, Yin Xiyue took office as president. When the Liberation Day amnesty was held on August 15, the media said that Lee Myung-bak's pardon by Yin Xiyue was a certainty.

　　But things backfired.

　　South Korean officials revealed that the Liberation Day amnesty was mainly for people in the financial sector.

Yin Xiyue, who had just taken office at that time, mainly considered boosting people's livelihood and restoring the economy.

　　However, when asked in June this year whether he would pardon Lee Myung-bak, Yin Xiyue's answer was meaningful.

"Based on past precedent, it would not be appropriate for someone to spend more than 20 years in prison," he said.

　　After finally waiting for this new year's amnesty, Yin Xiyue hoped to focus on politicians and put Lee Myung-bak on the final amnesty list.

　　It is worth noting that former South Korean presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak were both "hands-on" sent to prison by then Attorney General Yoon Seok-yue.

Data map: Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

　　At the end of 2021, the then President Moon Jae-in pardoned Park Geun-hye, who had been in prison for five years. Yin Xiyue proposed to Moon Jae-in to pardon Lee Myung-bak at that time, hoping to achieve the unity of South Korea, but then the plan was shelved.

　　Today, 81-year-old Lee Myung-bak finally got an amnesty from the man who sent him to prison.

People don't buy it: he didn't say a word of apology

　　However, South Korean public opinion did not "buy it" on the pardon of Lee Myung-bak and other politicians.

　　According to the national index survey jointly conducted by four public opinion survey agencies released in the middle of this month, 39% of the respondents are in favor of the pardon of Lee Myung-bak, while 53% of the respondents are opposed, that is, more than half of the people are against it.

　　The South Korean people believed that the then South Korean President Lee Myung-bak abused his power for personal gain. After the verdict, Lee Myung-bak did not say a word of apology.

"Lee Myung-bak's crime is not a political act, but a personal injustice."

　　"Hankyoreh" even published an editorial saying that the pardon of Lee Myung-bak has neither principles nor standards, and it can only fuel national conflicts.

　　However, South Korea's "Central Daily" stated that the background of the South Korean presidential office's proposal to consider pardoning politicians such as Lee Myung-bak is for "national unity."

"There are opinions that it is necessary to put aside past political events and move forward as (Yoon Seok-yue)'s second year in power is approaching."

　　Moreover, the political algorithm also gave Yin Xiyue more confidence to "return the past."

According to Gallup Korea's poll, Yoon's approval rating dropped to 24 percent in the first week of August, just before the Liberation Day amnesty, but rose to 33 percent in the second week of December.

According to the analysis, Yin Xiyue is more confident in exercising the right to pardon due to the rising trend of support.

Once "Popular Myth"

　　Lee Myung-bak is the first president of South Korea with a business background. He was once a "common people's myth" in the eyes of Koreans.

　　Lee Myung-bak was born in Osaka, Japan during World War II in 1941, and returned to Korea after Japan's defeat in 1945.

He was born in a poor family and ranked fifth in his family. He worked part-time and was admitted to the Faculty of Commerce of the prestigious Korea University.

　　After graduation, he entered the Hyundai Construction Group under the Hyundai Group. Because of a robbery incident, Lee Myung-bak was appreciated by the founder Zheng Zhouyong, and he made great progress in the Hyundai Group.

At the age of 36, Li Mingbo became the executive president of Hyundai Construction; at the age of 47, he became the chairman of the board.

　　Later, Lee Myung-bak switched to politics, served as a member of the National Assembly and mayor of Seoul, and completed the well-known "Restoration of Cheonggyecheon Project" during his tenure as mayor.

He was elected president in December 2007 and was once called a "civilian myth" by Korean society.

　　From 2007 to 2013, during his tenure as president, Lee Myung-bak still actually controlled the auto parts company DAS. He was the master behind the DAS company and was suspected of embezzling about 35 billion won from the company for political activities and private purposes.

In addition, Samsung Electronics bribed Lee Myung-bak by helping DAS companies pay the 8.9 billion won in legal fees that should be paid to US law firms.

　　As the president of a country, Lee Myung-bak went into business and was criticized as a typical "political businessman".

Data map: South Korean President Yin Xiyue.

Is there a solution to the "Cheong Wa Dae Curse"?

　　The liquidation of the South Korean president after his resignation seems to be the "Cheong Wa Dae curse" that cannot be broken.

After leaving office for many years, Lee Myung-bak could not escape this fate.

　　He is the fourth former president in South Korean history to be criminally convicted of corruption after Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, and Park Geun-hye.

　　In 2018, under the leadership of Yin Xiyue, who was the chief prosecutor at the time, South Korean prosecutors prosecuted Lee Myung-bak for more than 10 crimes including embezzlement and bribery, abuse of power, tax evasion, illegal hiding of documents, and violation of election laws. Respectively as high as 24.7 billion won and 11.1 billion won.

　　In October 2020, Lee Myung-bak was finally sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined 13 billion won (about 77 million yuan).

In addition, 5.78 billion won of his criminal proceeds was recovered.

　　Subsequently, on November 2, Lee Myung-bak was officially sentenced to prison in the Eastern Detention Center in Seoul.

The time to be released from prison after serving his sentence is 2036, when he was born in 1941, he will be 95 years old.

　　Considering the former president's identity and courtesy, Lee Myung-bak was assigned to a solitary room with an area of ​​about 13 square meters, and isolation facilities were set up around it to prevent other prisoners from approaching.

　　During his sentence, Lee Myung-bo was "leaved" for medical treatment many times due to diabetes and other diseases. In addition, he also applied for the suspension of his sentence on health grounds many times.

In June of this year, Lee Myung-bak was suspended for 3 months.

In September, his application for suspension of his sentence was extended again for 3 months to the end of December.

Data map: Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

　　At the end of last year, Park Geun-hye, who was liquidated, received an amnesty from Moon Jae-in. At the end of this year, Lee Myung-bak, who was imprisoned, received an amnesty from Yin Xiyue, but the "Cheong Wa Dae curse" did not stop.

Whose turn will it be for the next reckoning?

(use up)