The billionaire was conditionally released in August 2021 after serving 18 months in prison.
Article written by
Posted on 08/12/2022 10:49 AM Updated on 08/12/2022 10:54 AM
Reading time: 1 min
The heir and de facto leader of the Samsung Group received a presidential pardon on Friday, August 12. Lee Jae-yong, who was convicted of bribery and embezzlement in January 2021, will be “rehired” to “help South Korea overcome economic crisis,” Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said. The billionaire was conditionally released in August 2021 after serving 18 months in prison, just over half of his original sentence.
This pardon will allow him to fully return to work and lift the ban on his employment imposed by the court for a period of five years after his sentence. The ministry hopes the businessman can “lead the country’s growth engine by actively investing in technology and creating jobs.”
Lee Jae-yong was pardoned along with three other businessmen, including Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin, who was sentenced to a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence in a corruption case in 2018. This is the latest example of a South Korean tradition of leniency towards big bosses convicted of corruption and other financial crimes.
Seen from Europe
Franceinfo selects daily content from European public audiovisual media that are members of Eurovision. This content is published in English or French.