In exchange, Lee granted a presidential pardon to Lee Kun-hee, Samsung's chairman, who had been convicted of embezzlement and tax evasion. The conviction had forced Lee Kun-hee to resign from Samsung in 2008; he returned to work at the company shortly after receiving the presidential pardon.
Lee was succeeded as president of South Korea by Park Geun-Hye, who was impeached and ousted on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Park was later sentenced to 25 years in prison for those crimes. In February, an appeals court convicted the son of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee of bribing Park.
