Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong Appears in Court for Warrant Hearing, Remains Silent

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics, who is under prosecution investigation for allegations of unfair succession of management rights related to the merger of the former Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, as well as accounting fraud allegations involving Samsung Biologics, is entering the courtroom to attend the warrant hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong (52) began on the morning of the 8th.

The decision on whether to detain him is expected to be made late that night. This marks the first time in 2 years and 4 months that he faces detention since being released on probation in the 2018 appeal trial related to the political scandal. Earlier on the 4th, the prosecution requested arrest warrants from the court for Lee and three current and former Samsung executives on charges including violations of the Capital Markets Act (fraudulent trading and market manipulation) and the External Audit Act.

Wearing a white mask, Lee arrived at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul at 10:02 a.m. that day. When reporters bombarded him with questions such as "Did you ever order or receive reports about illegal mergers?" he did not react and immediately entered courtroom 321 in the West Building where the hearing was held. Following Lee, Choi Ji-sung, former head of Samsung’s Future Strategy Office (69, Vice Chairman), and Kim Jong-joong, former head of the Future Strategy Office’s Strategy Team (64, President), also appeared at the court. About 100 reporters, including foreign media such as AFP and AP, gathered in front of the West Building of the Seoul Central District Court that day.

The hearing was presided over by Judge Won Jeong-sook, who is in charge of warrant hearings at the Seoul Central District Court. After the hearing, Lee and the others will wait for the decision at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. Due to the large volume of the prosecution’s warrant application and evidence, the hearing is expected to last longer than anticipated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.