Lee Jae-yong is now a free man
Lee Jae-yong walked out a free man today almost a year after he was first arrested and detained. The Seoul High Court ruled on his appeal today and reduced the original prison sentence by half to two and a half years. It also suspended the sentence which means that he does not have to serve any time behind bars.
Presiding senior judge Cheong Hyung-sik said during today's proceedings that Lee's involvement in the entire episode was a “passive compliance to political power.” Lee was convicted in August last year for allegedly bribing President Park to cement his control of Samsung Electronics, the conglomerate's crown jewel.
The prosecutors had originally sought a 12-year jail term for the Samsung scion. They're expected to appeal this ruling to the country's Supreme Court. Lee can return to running the conglomerate as there's no law barring him from working at Samsung.
