South Korea: accused of corruption, Samsung heir sentenced to two and a half years in prison

Officially, Lee Jae-yong (pictured) is vice president of Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of smartphones and memory chips.

But in fact, he is the one who has taken up the torch at the head of the conglomerate since his father Lee Kun-hee, the architect of the group's global takeoff, stepped back from the company.

AP - Lee Jin-man

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The heir to Samsung has been back in prison since Monday.

Lee Jae-yong, vice president of the conglomerate's electronics branch, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for corruption.

This case is linked to the scandal which saw the dismissal and then the imprisonment of the former Korean president, Park Geun-hye, raises many questions about the future of Samsung.

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With our correspondent in Seoul,

Nicolas Rocca

As soon as the verdict was delivered, Lee Jae-yong was escorted to prison, a symbolic decision that deprives - in effect - South Korea's largest company of its leader.

While prosecutors had required nine years, Seoul's central court ruled for two and a half years in prison.

The one who has run Samsung since 2014, when his father fell into a coma before he died in October 2020, is accused of bribing ex-president Park Geun-hye, and his confidante Choï Soon-sil .

Facilitate the transition of power

Multiple financial donations which aimed to facilitate the transition of power at the head of Samsung.

Lee Jae-yong, who claimed to be the last of the family to lead the electronics empire during a public apology last May, continues to have a lot of support, especially in business circles.

Samsung is doing well

Because his imprisonment makes it difficult to make any important decision for Samsung, which weighs for a fifth of the South Korean economy.

However, the company is doing very well, driven in particular by the increase in teleworking and the strong demand for electronic chips.

Samsung announced a 25% increase in profit in the last quarter of 2020.

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  • South Korea

  • Criminality

  • Park geun-hye

  • Corruption

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