[Namkung Jinwoong = timeid@ajunews.com]
With an emotionless face, Samsung's de facto leader silently sat in his seat in a courtroom, listening to a judge reading a lengthy statement that ended with a five-year prison sentence, or sometimes taking a lip balm out to anxiously rub on his lips.
There were times when Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee's face hardened but he largely kept a calm attitude throughout the session, watched by about 150 spectators.
Sighs of despair could be heard when the Seoul District Court sentenced him to five years in prison, and hopelessness appeared on the faces of two Samsung executives, Choi Gee-sung and Chang Choong-ki, who received a four-year jail term each.
However, Lee, not showing any emotions, silently walked out, heading for a detention area inside the courthouse. His cool reaction was somewhat different from that of what he had shown during a court hearing on August 7 when he shed tears, insisting he was innocent.
At one point, an unexpected outburst of emotion took place when a female audience shouted, "Samsung should not sponsor Pyeongchang Winter Olympics!" the woman said, according to Yonhap News. Otherwise, the sentencing hearing was carried out in a calm manner.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
