Samsung’s boss avoids prison, again

IT HAS BEEN a while since Lee Jae-yong did not have a court date in his diary. In 2017 the scion of the family that controls Samsung, South Korea’s mightiest (conglomerate), was charged with bribing an associate of Park Geun-hye, then the country’s president. After being found guilty that year, he was in and out of prison before being paroled and eventually pardoned in 2022. In 2020, in the middle of that saga, he was indicted for stock-price manipulation, breach of trust and auditing fraud. He has since made 95 trips to Seoul Central District Court.Mr Lee’s schedule is finally clear. On February 5th the court acquitted him, and 13 other Samsung employees, of all charges. Mr Lee will hope to put his legal troubles behind him and get back to business.