SEOUL: Leaders of South Korea's largest conglomerates urged President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday to pardon Jay Y Lee, the jailed vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, to maintain the country's edge in the chip industry.
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won asked Moon to consider a petition for Lee's release that was submitted in April jointly by five business lobbies including the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry headed by Chey, according to Moon's spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee. Moon had vowed to not pardon serious economic crimes such as bribery and embezzlement before taking office in 2017.Business leaders have highlighted the need for Lee to be active to retain South Korea's leading position in the chip industry amid global shortages.