Farewell to Lee Kun-hee, king of Samsung: from 'noodles' to smartphones and memory chips
South Korea, Lee Jae-yong, the heir of the Samsung empire, sentenced to five years for corruption
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January 18, 2021The vice president of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae-oyong, was sentenced by a South Korean court to two and a half years in prison on charges of corruption for facts dating back to 2016, local media reported.
The 2016 corruption scandal led to significant street protests that resulted in the resignation of then-president Park Geun-hye The Seoul High Court today found Lee guilty of bribing the then president and his adviser to gaining government support for a merger between two Samsung subsidiaries in 2015 that helped strengthen control over the country's largest business group.
Lawyers for Lee, 52, called him a victim of presidential abuse of power and described the 2015 deal as part of "normal business."
The prosecution had asked for a nine-year prison sentence.
It is not clear whether the entrepreneur will appeal.
Samsung Electronics is one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer and smartphone chips.