could not have been clearer. In his inaugural address as South Korea’s president, in 2017, he promised “the cozy relationship between political and business circles will completely disappear.” He would force powerful conglomerates, known as, to reform and “boldly break from the malpractices of old days”. He was alluding, among other things, to the sprawling corruption scandal that had prompted the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, his predecessor.under Mr Moon.
Since then, prosecutors have stepped up their investigation into the possible involvement of senior Samsung executives both in the alleged accounting fraud and in subsequent attempts to conceal evidence related to the fraud and to the succession plan that it purportedly facilitated. In May prosecutors ripped open the floorboards in a BioLogics factory and found a stash of electronic devices which they say contain important evidence.
Yet Mr Moon seems increasingly willing to embrace Samsung. In late April he visited a Samsung factory near Seoul, the capital, to launch a national semiconductor strategy. It was the president’s first official visit to a domestic Samsung facility since he took office. Cameras captured him smiling warmly while shaking hands with Mr Lee. Mr Moon said he applauded Samsung’s “ambitious” spending plans, which the administration would “actively work to aid”.