Samsung heir Lee to return to prison after surgery

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong / Korea Times file

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group convicted of bribery, will return to prison later in the day, legal and industry sources said Thursday, nearly a month after an appendicitis surgery.

Lee was transferred to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul on March 19 to receive an emergency surgery after suffering a ruptured appendix.

The 52-year-old tycoon was supposed to return to Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, last Friday but was advised to stay a few more days at the hospital to recover, the sources said.

He is said to have lost about 7 kilograms following the surgery and have refused doctors' advice to stay longer for medical care.

Lee, the group's heir, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Jan. 18 in a retrial of a bribery case involving the impeached former President Park Geun-hye. He will be released in July next year. (Yonhap)