'Lee Jae-yong's First Trial' Postponed Due to Appendicitis Surgery to Be Held on the 22nd

Calls for Lee Vice Chairman's Pardon to Strengthen Semiconductor Industry Competitiveness Inside and Outside the Business Community

Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The first trial related to the merger allegations against Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who returned to the detention center after appendicitis surgery, will be held this week.

According to the legal community on the 18th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 25-2 (Presiding Judges Park Jeong-je, Park Sa-rang, and Kwon Seong-su) will hold the first trial on the morning of the 22nd for Vice Chairman Lee and 10 Samsung officials, who were indicted on charges including unfair trading practices and market manipulation under the Capital Markets Act.

This trial is the first formal hearing following two preparatory hearings. The defendant is required to attend the formal trial, so Vice Chairman Lee must appear in court. Previously, Lee was brought to trial on charges including involvement in the 2015 merger process of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries to succeed management rights and strengthen control over the Samsung Group.

The first trial was originally scheduled for the 25th of last month. However, the schedule was postponed as Vice Chairman Lee, who was serving time at Seoul Detention Center for the state affairs manipulation case, was hospitalized for appendicitis surgery.

Vice Chairman Lee underwent surgery at Seoul Samsung Hospital and was recovering before returning to the detention center on the 15th. Until his return, he suffered from high fever and his health had not fully recovered, leading medical staff to recommend an extension of hospitalization. However, he reportedly expressed his intention to return to the detention center, saying, "I do not want to cause any more trouble."

Currently, Vice Chairman Lee is serving a 2 years and 6 months prison sentence confirmed in January in the retrial of the 'state affairs manipulation' case. Voices are rising both inside and outside the business community calling for his pardon to avoid falling behind in the semiconductor industry competition, which is escalating as a matter of national security. This is because his role is deemed necessary to take charge of major decisions such as Samsung Electronics' investment plans amid the urgent global competition to secure semiconductor supply chains.

Earlier, on the 16th, key economic organization leaders including Sohn Kyung-shik, Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, during the 'Deputy Prime Minister-Economic Leaders Meeting' and requested the government to pardon Vice Chairman Lee. The day before, Oh Kyu-seok, Mayor of Busan's Gijang County, publicly proposed Lee's pardon to President Moon Jae-in.

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