 |
| Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is heading to the court to attend the trial to continue the reconsideration of the case of’Gukjeong Nongdan’ held at the Seoul High Court in Seocho-gu on the afternoon of the 30th. [연합] |
[헤럴드경제 = 김상수 기자]As Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong’s decision was held on the 30th, the trial, which has been nearly four years now, is in the process of closing. But next year, a trial on succession of management rights is pending. For Samsung Electronics, it is still tied to judicial risk. There is also considerable concern from the business community that it may fall behind in global competition, given that management uncertainty such as the corona crisis increases.
Vice-Chairman Lee’s decision to revoke the abandonment of the Gukjeong Nongdan will now only leave a sentence in early next year. The trial, which lasted about four years from February 2017, is now concluded through a sentence.
On this day, the prosecution sought 9 years in prison. Compared to the 12 years imprisonment in both the first and second trials, the amount of imprisonment was slightly lowered.
The result of the final sentence is also variable, but Samsung Electronics must prepare a trial for succession of management rights from next year. A trial on succession of management rights is underway through a prosecution indictment in September. The first trial was held at the end of October, and the second trial is scheduled for next January. It is the procedure to go to trial in earnest from February.
The fact that, as the judicial risk continues, the uncertainty in Samsung Electronics’ management will continue next year is a huge burden for Samsung Electronics. During successive trials, Vice-Chairman Lee’s management is inevitably affected by the immediate preparation and attendance of the trial. In particular, it is a burden for Samsung Electronics in that it is a time when major competitors are spurring new business reorganization in the aftermath of the corona crisis.
A business official said, “I am worried that Samsung Electronics will fall behind in the global competition due to judicial risk in a time when leadership is more important than ever due to the corona crisis. Leadership will be an important time.”