Samsung thrives as Seoul mulls pardon of corporate heir

Pressure is mounting on South Korean President Moon Jae-in to pardon Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong now that he has spent nearly four months in prison after his conviction in a massive corruption scandal

SEOUL, South Korea -- Pressure is mounting on South Korean President Moon Jae-in to pardon Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong, who is back in prison after his conviction in a massive corruption scandal, even though business has rarely looked better at South Korea’s largest company. Lee is just the latest South Korean corporate boss to run his business from behind bars, communicating decisions through visiting company executives. But his imprisonment is causing national handwringing over the future of the technology giant in the country sometimes called the “Samsung Republic.” Many people — from business leaders and editorial writers to even Buddhist monks — have urged Moon to release Lee for the sake of an economy heavily dependent on Samsung’s technology exports. They worry Lee’s imprisonment could compromise Samsung’s speed and decisiveness, hindering its competitiveness in the fast-changing technology business. Lee has been in prison for nearly four months and few expect him to serve his full prison sentence through July 2022. There's speculation Moon could free him on Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on Wednesday.