1991–present: Career at Samsung Lee started working for
Samsung in 1991. He began serving as Vice President of Strategic Planning and then as "Chief Customer Officer", a management position created exclusively for Jae-yong. His prospects for future company leadership dimmed when his father Kun-hee stepped down as Chairman due to
tax evasion. In December 2009, however, his succession prospects were revived when Lee became the
chief operating officer of
Samsung Electronics. Since December 2012, he has been
vice chairman of Samsung. He is one of the main shareholders of Samsung's financial services subsidiary, owning 11 percent of
Samsung SDS.
Monetary kickbacks, perjury, arrest and conviction In January 2017,
special prosecutors of the
Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea accused Lee of bribery, embezzlement and perjury. Lee was questioned for more than 22 hours. The charges came as part of a "vast influence-peddling case" that led to the
impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye the preceding month. An initial request for an
arrest warrant was rejected by the
Seoul Central District Court in mid-January 2017. In February 2017, Lee was formally indicted, Lee was charged with "offering in bribes to four entities controlled by a friend of then-President Park Geun-hye, including a company in Germany set up to support equestrian training for the daughter of one of Park's friends, Choi Soon-sil" and "Prosecutors alleged the bribes were offered in exchange for government help with a merger that strengthened Lee's control over Samsung at a crucial time for organizing a smooth leadership transition after his father fell ill." A spokesman for Samsung said, "We will do our best to ensure that the truth is revealed in future court proceedings." Lee was found guilty on each charge by a three-judge panel of Seoul Central District Court in August 2017 and was sentenced to five years in prison (prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence). In February 2018, the Seoul High Court reduced his prison sentence to 2.5 years, and suspended his prison sentence, leading to Lee's release after one year of detention. In January 2021, Lee was sentenced to two years and six months in prison by Seoul High Court, which found him "guilty of bribery, embezzlement and concealment of criminal proceeds" worth about (, ), and found that Samsung's independent compliance committee, established in 2020, was not yet fully effective.
2021–2022: Pardon In mid-2021, the
United States Chamber of Commerce, a lobbying group of American companies, joined South Korean business groups to urge the president to pardon Lee, arguing that the billionaire executive can help strengthen U.S. President
Joe Biden's efforts to end American dependence on computer chips produced overseas amid the
2020–2023 global chip shortage. Lee was released on
parole from the
Seoul Detention Center in
Uiwang on August 13, 2021; the South Korean government argued that the release was in the national interest. His parole conditions included business restrictions for five years and requiring permission before travelling outside South Korea. Upon leaving prison, Lee apologized, bowing to reporters and saying: "I've caused much concern for the people. I deeply apologize. I am listening to the concerns, criticisms, worries, and high expectations for me. I will work hard." In August 2021,
The Korea Herald reported that Lee retained his title as Samsung's "Vice-Chairman" despite not drawing a salary or being registered as an executive in compliance with his work ban. In August 2022, President
Yoon Suk Yeol granted a pardon to Lee, citing Samsung's importance to the economy; the pardon opened the door for Lee to take up leadership of the conglomerate. == Public image ==