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Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong heads to the Seoul High Court for his trial on Jan. 18. (Kim Hye-yun/The Hankyoreh)

The question of a possible pardon for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is drawing major attention after the announcement of inheritance tax payment and donation plans for the family members of late Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

But the administration and ruling Democratic Party insist that a pardon is a “separate issue” from the tax payments and donations.

Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum, who is currently preparing for his confirmation hearing, met with reporters Thursday while heading to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) training center in Seoul, where his hearing preparation office has been set up.

“I laud the decision to return invaluable cultural properties to the people of South Korea,” Kim said.

At the same time, he added, “The pardon question is a separate issue, and the power to pardon is with the president, who will have to take a lot of different factors into account as well.”

“I don’t think you can look at it solely in terms of that [donation] issue,” he said. His emphasis on viewing the donation and pardon issues as separate suggested that he is not in favor of a pardon.

Minister of Justice Park Beom-kye said, “As minister of justice — a position in which I am responsible for rigorous enforcement of the law — I have never considered [a pardon for Lee Jae-yong].”

The Blue House was similarly dismissive of a pardon proposal for Lee submitted Tuesday by representatives of five business leader groups.

“We have not examined [the pardon issue], nor do we have plans to do so at present,” it said.

A pardon for Lee would also be difficult from a practical standpoint, as special pardons can only be granted to those who have received their sentence. While Lee’s sentence of two years and six months in prison on bribery charges in connection with a government influence-peddling scandal was finalized in January, the first trial is still ongoing in his indictment for allegedly ordering an improper merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries to pave the way for his succession to management authority.

While Lee could be pardoned in principle for his role in the influence-peddling scandal, that pardon would be rendered meaningless if he is convicted in his current trial.

In a recent press interview, Democratic Party floor leader Yun Ho-jung said it was “an issue that also relates to former President Park Geun-hye,” who is also currently imprisoned after a conviction in the influence-peddling case.

“The pardon question isn’t something where you can base the decision solely on economic considerations. As a rule, the president should be minimizing the use of his authority to grant pardons,” he said.

In a Facebook post Thursday, Democratic party deputy spokesperson Park Jin-young wrote, “What’s so great about them saying they’re going to pay the inheritance taxes that they’re obviously supposed to pay according to the law?”

“It’s a different matter from pardoning Park Geun-hye. [The calls for Lee Jae-yong’s pardon] are a classic case of ‘not guilty if you have money,’” he added.

Referring to the business groups and media reports drawing connections between the plans for giving Lee Kun-hee’s fortune back to society and the question of a pardon for Lee Jae-yong, Park said, “This ‘singing Samsung’s praises’ is making me ill.”

About the only voice within the Democratic Party calling for a pardon for Lee is Yang Hyang-ja, chairperson of the Special Committee on Semiconductor Technology — and even she has indicated that such a decision would have to have the support of the public.

Yang is a former executive with Samsung Electronics.

By Song Chae Kyung-hwa, staff reporter

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