For the past six weeks after being released from jail, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has strictly kept himself from the public eye.

And the heir apparent of South Korea’s No. 1 conglomerate is likely to remain low-key until a Supreme Court trial expected to take place this summer at the earliest.

This week, Lee is expected to stay under the radar despite the group’s key events, including the 80th anniversary of Samsung’s foundation on Thursday and an annual shareholders meeting on Friday.

According to Samsung officials on Wednesday, current public opinion toward Samsung is still unfavorable, which could have led to Lee remaining cautious in terms of public appearances.

“Including the prosecutors’ raid targeting DAS right after the vice chairman’s release, things remain unfavorable toward Samsung,” said a public relations official in charge of Lee’s trial. 

 

Three days after Lee’s release on Feb. 5, prosecutors raided the headquarters of Samsung Electronics and the residence of a former senior company official in a probe into a corruption scandal linked to ex-President Lee Myung-bak.

“Public opinion led by some lawmakers including Rep. Chae Yi-bae, who demands that Lee step down from the board, are big burdens (that keep) Lee from resuming public activities.”

The official confirmed that there would be no official public ceremony or event to mark the 80th anniversary of Samsung’s foundation. Lee is not expected to appear at the shareholders meeting either.

The upcoming trial at the Supreme Court is the ultimate burden weighing on Lee.

“It is hard for us to assume when the vice chairman will restart his public activities because it is nearly impossible to predict when the Supreme Court’s ruling will be made,” the official said.

Customarily, it takes about six months for the Supreme Court to rule on the lower court’s ruling.

Some forecast that the chances of Lee winning acquittal from the Supreme Court are higher, if the trial is held as early as possible.

However, as Lee’s bribery charges are related to ex-President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil’s charges, some expect Lee’s trial will not be held until late this year.

Solidarity For Economic Reform, a liberal economic research institute, argued in a report on Tuesday that there are possibilities that the Supreme Court could impose a sentence on Lee in the upcoming trial, if the court refocuses on the heir’s purposes of bribing the former president in order to inherit assets.

On Feb. 23, Lee did not take part in a meeting of board members presided over by chair Kwon Oh-hyun, where three executives discussed key items on the agenda, such as appointments of new executives -- CEO Koh Dong-jin, CEO Kim Hyun-suk, CEO Kim Ki-nam and CFO Lee Sang-hoon -- as well as a stock split.

Speculations have since been raised that it will take some time for Lee to be back on the forefront of management.

“There are those who say that Lee should have been at the board meeting to make a comeback as early as possible,” an insider said. “But the heir seems to be dreading being at the forefront.”

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)