Malaysia’s ‘Look East’ lesson: Why South Korea keeps jailing presidents

M Santhananaban

Recently, the hot news from Seoul was that a former first lady, Kim Keon-hee, had been sentenced to a prison term of 20 months for bribery.

Kim is the spouse of Yoon Seuk-yeol, the former president of this remarkable miracle on the Han River.

Yoon is already serving a prison term of five years related to charges stemming from his 2024 martial law declaration.

On a far more serious charge of “insurrection”, Yoon will hear the verdict in mid-February. The prosecutors are seeking a death sentence for that martial law declaration case.

Yoon is among several former presidents of his country to be convicted and jailed, following Chun Do-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak and Park Guen-hye. With his wife’s conviction, they have been described as the first presidential couple to be sentenced to prison terms.

One former president, Roh Moo-hyun, committed suicide in 2009 while under investigation after he had completed his presidential term.

Former President Yoon’s wife’s trial highlighted allegations of bribery and a love for luxury living and designer handbags.

Corruption survives and thrives

The conviction and jailing of all these presidents have taken place during Malaysia’s own “Look East” policy.

During this time, from 1982 onwards, corruption in Malaysia has seemingly survived the under-the-table phase and moved to a thriving over-the-top plateau.

Coincidentally, on the day the former Korean first lady was convicted, the Malaysian prime minister gave his sternest warning that enforcement officers must act decisively against corruption.

When Yoon became president in May 2022, there was much enthusiasm and expectation about him, as he had acquired a solid reputation as the prosecutor general of his country. He had played a key role in prosecuting two former presidents – Park Guen-hye and Lee Myung-bak – who were both convicted. It is ironical that today both he and his wife have to do prison time, although his wife’s appeal is pending.

When Yoon became President, he had also declared he wanted to be closer to the people. For that reason, he moved out of the Blue House, the prestigious presidential complex, and relocated the presidential office to Yongsan in central Seoul. He also moved his residence to Hannam-dong, where high-ranking officials have their official residences. Atop that hill sits the Malaysian ambassador’s residence.

With the current President Lee Jay-myung considering a return to the Blue House as the presidential complex, the Malaysian ambassador in Seoul may lose a powerful presidential neighbour!

The arrest, trial and conviction of Yoon and his spouse reflect the continued willingness of South Korean prosecutors and courts to pursue high-level corruption and abuse-of-power cases.

Like his predecessors who were jailed before him, Yoon may hope for future clemency or sentence reduction, but such outcomes would depend on political circumstances and legal procedures rather than being automatic. And something like that can only happen when there is convincing evidence of both repentance and admitted guilt.

A tragic presidential couple

Something far more tragic happened to another Korean presidential couple decades earlier. Park Chung-hee, perhaps the most illustrious, iconic and innovative president of his country, was killed by his trusted principal intelligence chief at a safe house in Seoul in 1979. At Park’s state funeral, Richard Ho, then a Malaysian federal cabinet minister, represented the Hussein Onn government.

Some five years earlier, on 15 August 1974, at the commemoration of Korea’s Independence Day, a bullet intended for President Park missed him and killed his wife, First Lady Yuk Young-soo. That incident briefly interrupted the presidential address but after the remains of First Lady Yuk were removed from the stage, Park went on to complete his speech. That was the kind of commitment and dedication to duty he had.

President Park laid the foundation for a dynamic, diversified, industrial and strong Korean economy, modelled after the Japanese industrial era.

Following his death, a diplomat, Professor Choi Kyu-wah, who had served as Korea’s second ambassador to Malaysia, became the country’s president for a brief period.

Last month, after former First Lady Kim’s conviction, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Korea was also convicted and given a suspended prison sentence of six months. The former chief justice was found guilty of improper interference in some high-profile cases.

Korea’s quixotic quest for quality governance continues amid intense political contestation and frequent legal battles involving its top leaders.

Dato’ M Santhananaban is a former Malaysian ambassador with 45 years of public sector experience.

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