Samsung leader secures pardon

Lee Jae-yong, the current unofficial leader of the company, will receive a pardon from South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol for bribing a former president. Lee will receive clemency on Monday, a national holiday, with 1,700 other people, including many business leaders. The move is somewhat symbolic because Lee was already released on parole a year ago after spending 18 months in jail.

Why is this happening? Business leaders and politicians have called for the pardon on the grounds that it will allow Lee to officially resume his duties as the Samsung CEO, which would enable the company to pursue more investments and mergers. Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said the move to grant Lee and the other business leaders and tycoons absolution is part of an effort to re-energize a struggling economy through “encouraging business activity.”

Dig deeper: Listen to my report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how South Korea and Japan are also trying to overcome centuries of differences.