Reflecting the public mood, the governing — and usually pro-business — Liberty Korea Party said it respected the court’s decision to arrest Mr. Lee and expressed “regrets<br />that the people have been again disappointed by the deep-rooted collusion between politics and business.”<br />Mr. Lee is accused of bribery, embezzlement and perjury as part of an investigation into a confidante of the country’s president, Park Geun-hye.<br />The unprecedented arrest on Friday of the de facto leader of Samsung, the largest company in the country,<br />highlighted once again the outsize political influence of the largest family-run companies there.<br />“Samsung is the global company that represents South Korea, and we fear<br />that the vacuum in its management will weigh heavily on the economy by increasing uncertainty and hurt international credibility.”<br />But the power of the chaebol is coming up against rising public anger over the perception of corruption and favoritism.
