One of South Korea’s most powerful white collar criminals, Lee was twice imprisoned for bribing a former president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Korea’s government justified the move, saying the de-facto leader of the country’s biggest company was needed back at the helm to spearhead economic recovery post-pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This marks another swing in a struggle over how the country is run that has raged since mass protests took over Seoul six years ago and ousted a president from office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee’s crimes were directly tied up in the corruption scandal that led to the imprisonment of former president Park Geun-Hye, in office from 2013-2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “Crown Prince of Samsung” – as he was dubbed by protesters – paid $8 million (\u00a36.6m) in bribes to President Park and her associate to secure support for a merger opposed by shareholders that would shore up his control of his family’s empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it was revealed, millions of South Koreans turned out at candlelit protests every weekend in the 2016\/2017 winter, demanding an end to Park’s government and the stitch-up between politics and business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Korea’s parliament impeached Park and she was imprisoned in 2017 for 25 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee, who is also known as Jay Y Lee in the West, was jailed a year later for offences including embezzling company funds to buy a $800,000 (\u00a3650,000) horse for the president’s friend’s daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/10AB\/production\/_126276240_gettyimages-625867752.jpg\")