Samsung chief

By AFP
August 10, 2021

Seoul: The jailed de facto leader of the giant Samsung group will be released early on parole this week, South Korea’s justice ministry said on Monday, easing concerns over a possible leadership vacuum at the conglomerate.

Lee Jae-yong -- the 188th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $12.4 billion -- is currently serving a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with the corruption scandal that brought down ex-South Korean president Park Geun-hye.