South Korean President pardons Samsung leader in bribery case

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol granted a pardon for Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y Lee to help overcome a "national economic crisis", the country's Justice Ministry said on Friday.

The pardon is largely symbolic, with Lee already out on parole after serving 18 months in jail for bribery, relating to his time leading the world's biggest smartphone and memory-chip maker.

However, this move could enable Lee to carry out business activities more freely, leading to possible big moves from Samsung, analysts said.

"With urgent needs to overcome the national economic crisis, we carefully selected economic leaders who lead the national growth engine through active technology investment and job creation, to be pardoned," Justice Minister Han Dong Hoon told a briefing. Also pardoned was Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong Bin.

ALSO READ:

• South Korea: Torrential rain, flooding in Seoul kills eleven

• US: Twitter's plan to fight midterm misinformation falls short, experts say

• Asia