Regrettable ruling
Prosecution must do its utmost to seize ex-president's residence fully
A Seoul court has put the brakes on the prosecution's move to seize former President Chun Doo-hwan's residence in western Seoul as a means to collect unpaid fines. The Seoul High Court ruled Friday that the entire residence cannot be seized although Chun, 89, refuses to pay the huge penalties.
Partly accepting Chun's objection against the prosecution auctioning off the residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, the court said the property's main house and garden should not be subject to seizure because they cannot be verified as properties bought with illegal funds. But the court allowed an annex of the residence to be seized, deeming it an illicit asset.
"There is insufficient evidence to prove that the main house and garden were acquired illegally although the annex owned by his daughter-in-law was bought with his slush funds undeniably," the court said. Ownership of the main house was transferred to Lee Soon-ja, Chun's wife, in 1969 before the former dictator seized power in a coup. The garden is registered under the name of Chun's former secretary.
Chun was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 along with a fine of 220.5 billion won ($197 million) for treason and bribery. His life imprisonment sentence was commuted later, but he has yet to pay back 99.1 billion won. It's dumbfounding to see the ex-president live in extreme luxury brazenly while the penalty remains unpaid. He has been spotted golfing with his acquaintances several times, and on Dec. 12 last year, the day marking the 40th anniversary of the Dec. 12 military coup, he had a lavish luncheon at an exclusive Chinese restaurant. He also angered the public by stating in 2003 that he only had 290,000 won to his name.
Friday's ruling was regrettable in that it is out of touch with national sentiment. After the ruling, the prosecution rightfully said it will take whatever measures are necessary to seize Chun's residence fully. But that's not enough. The prosecution should do its utmost to prove that justice will prevail.