Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Chapter 10

Please post for Chapter 10 here.

Also, be sure to make arrangments to get the next book we will be reading.

4 comments:

  1. -Suh Young Yun

    -Ex-Samsung chief pardoned

    -This article is about President Lee Myung Bak pardoning the Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun Hee from his conviction to allow him to help the country’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic in Korea. Chairman Lee was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion, but with President Lee’s grace, he is, of December 2009, allowed to exert his civil rights again. In recent news dated March 25, 2010, Chairman Lee apparently returned to Samsung Group as the Head only after 23 months since his step down from the chairmanship. Again, this was possible due to President Lee’s pardon.

    I guess this incident can be well explained by the Conflict theorists’ arguments. They argue that “laws mainly criminalize crimes of the powerless, leaving harms caused by the powerful as lesser administrative or regulative offenses” (p.262). Also they say, “although severe prison sentences are given on rare occasions to the powerful who commit exceptional crimes and corporations are sometimes given larger fines, the majority of such offenders receive relatively little punishment.” (p.262). As Quinney claims, the definitions of crime become a part of public psyche and popular culture as a result of the mass media. He argues that “the criminal definitions are then applied by the authorized agents of those segments of society having power.” (p.271)

    In the present case, it is portrayed as if the government doesn’t seem to view corporate crime, or tax crime in particular, to be of a serious crime from President Lee’s pardon of Chairman Lee. Apparently, President Lee has pardoned a few business chairmen. In the eyes of the public, this action of the Chief of the Executive could bring confusion as to what really is considered crime. If playing with money and using them in inappropriate ways is seen as pardonable, people might commit similar crimes and simply say that they thought that it was okay to do it. And when they’re convicted, they probably will have grudges against the police or the government because those in the top-tier of society are pardoned from the same conviction but they’re not. This might result in further crimes.

    I think this case shows the weakness of Capitalism and allows room for possible explanations with the Conflict theory. Perhaps it is simply impossible to eradicate all forms of injustice or inequality stemming from the Capitalist system, as we’re all imbued in the Capitalist ideology.
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    Article will be posted below.

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  2. President Lee Myung-bak has decided to pardon convicted former Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee to give him a free hand to work for the nation's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
    The Cabinet yesterday approved the Justice Ministry's proposal to restore his civil rights in a special yearend amnesty as of Thursday.
    In August, a court sentenced him to a suspended three-year prison term and a fine of 110 billion won ($94 million) for tax evasion and breach of duty, wrapping up years of litigations over company bond issuances in the late-1990s allegedly aimed at transferring management control over the group to his son Lee Jae-yong.
    The 67-year-old Lee had led the nation's largest conglomerate before he resigned in April 2008 in the wake of the scandal. At his own request, the International Olympic Committee suspended his membership in that year.
    The presidential pardon is aimed to boost Korea's chance to host the Winter Olympics at the northern mountain resort of PyeongChang after two unsuccessful bids.
    During the Cabinet meeting, Lee said he made the decision "for the sake of national interest" following repeated requests from sports circles, businesses and Gangwon Province, where the city is located.
    "He should make efforts to contribute to the nation in the world of sports and help boost Korea's national competitiveness," the president was quoted as saying by his spokesman Kim Eun-hye.
    […]
    Political circles showed mixed reactions.
    The ruling Grand National Party welcomed the decision as reflecting the people's wish to host the Winter Olympics.
    The main opposition Democratic Party denounced the president for "being lenient to the haves and strict with the have-nots."
    In August 2008, the president pardoned a number of business magnates including Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group chairman Chung Mong-koo and SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won.
    This is the second time for the former Samsung chief to receive a presidential amnesty. He was pardoned in 1997 after being convicted the previous year of providing illicit money to former President Roh Tae-woo.
    (jjhwang@heraldm.com)
    By Hwang Jang-jin

    2009.12.30
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    http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/archives/result_contents.asp

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  3. Arrest warrant sought for ex-education chief

    It is about ex-education chief, Kong Jung Taek, who was former Seoul education chief and arrested for bribery charges. He, as chief in 2008-2009, suspected for taking bribery from school principals and personnel affairs officials in education offices for favor of promotion.

    It was suspected since early march and prosecutor seek for arrest warrant on last Friday, and he was arrested 27 March.

    I think it is connected to radical theory and capitalism. Bribe usually appears due to the misleading of power and capitalism. Educational chief, who should be clean and objective, took bribe and took favor of promotion shows serious corruption in educational field and policy. However, it seems that bribing actually worked for them so it consequently make situation that in order to promote, we have to bribe someone on the power. It allows people to have more compulsion to commit crime.

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