Samsung Chief Lee Jae-yong Awaits Final Supreme Court Ruling in Merger Case

After nearly five years of legal proceedings, South Korea’s Supreme Court is set to issue its final verdict on Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong in a high-profile merger case. The court will deliver the ruling on July 17 at 11:15 a.m., legal sources confirmed on Thursday. Lee has already been acquitted in both the first and second trials.

The Supreme Court will issue its final verdict on Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong next month

In September 2020, Korean prosecutors indicted Lee Jae-yong on charges of unfair trading, stock price manipulation, and accounting fraud. The case centers around the 2015 merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries. Prosecutors allege that the de facto Samsung heir orchestrated the move to consolidate his control over Samsung Group — South Korea’s largest conglomerate — at minimal personal cost.

In February 2024, the Seoul Central District Court found Lee not guilty on all 19 charges. The Seoul High Court upheld that verdict on February 3, 2025, reaffirming the acquittals issued by the lower court. Despite this, prosecutors escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, calling the merger unlawful. They alleged that Samsung’s now-defunct Future Strategy Office initiated illegal schemes to tighten Lee’s grip on management.

Notably, since both lower court rulings acquitted Lee, the prosecution had to obtain approval from the Appeal Review Committee before filing with the Supreme Court. It’s a procedural step necessary in cases where lower courts dismiss all initial charges.

The upcoming Supreme Court ruling follows an extensive legal saga that has spanned nearly five years. The court’s decision will also affect 13 other former Samsung executives. The names include Choi Ji-sung, former head of the Future Strategy Office; Kim Jong-joong, former head of the strategy team; and Jang Chung-ki, former deputy head of the U.S. operations office — all of whom were likewise acquitted in both previous trials.

Can Lee finally breathe a sigh of relief?

The final ruling on July 17 will mark a pivotal moment not only for the Samsung Chief but for the broader governance structure and public perception of the Samsung empire. If the Supreme Court upholds the previous acquittals, it could bring closure to one of the most closely watched corporate trials in South Korea’s recent history. But if it finds Lee guilty in one or more accounts, he may have to head to jail again.

Lee Jae-yong previously served 18 months in prison for a separate bribery case involving former South Korean President Park Geun-hye. He received a presidential pardon in August 2022.