Appendicitis Surgery: Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's First Trial Postponed to the 22nd of Next Month

Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] The first trial of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong regarding allegations of unfair merger and accounting fraud, who recently underwent appendicitis surgery while incarcerated, has been postponed to next month.

Due to Lee's difficulty attending the trial following his appendicitis surgery, it was deemed inappropriate to separate only Lee's trial from the multiple co-defendants and conduct the procedures repeatedly.

The Criminal Division 25-2 of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Park Jeong-je, in charge of Lee's trial, announced on the 22nd that the first trial date scheduled for the 25th will be changed to 10 a.m. on the 22nd of next month.

The court stated, "Considering that the defense submitted a medical certificate along with a statement requesting three weeks of rest for the defendant, that this case involves multiple defendants who conspired together to commit the crime, and that at the first trial date, the prosecution is expected to present the summary of charges against the defendants and receive their responses, along with a lengthy exchange using PPT presentations from both sides, it is inappropriate to separate the trial of the defendant and conduct procedures repeatedly apart from the other defendants. Therefore, the first trial date has been changed to 10 a.m. on April 22."

Earlier, Lee's defense counsel explained Lee's surgical progress and physical condition to the court and requested a postponement of the trial scheduled for the 25th.

Meanwhile, the prosecution requested that the trial be held even as a preparatory hearing where the defendant's attendance is not mandatory, but the court recognized the necessity of changing the trial date.

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