Seven months after his re-sentencing for corruption, heir to the Samsung corporate empire, Lee Jae Yong, has been released. He had caused great unrest, he apologized, said the 53-year-old after reports from South Korean broadcasters when leaving a detention center. He is aware of the “concerns, criticism and high expectations of him”. Lee was released early on parole along with more than 800 other convicts. This shortened his prison sentence of two and a half years by almost a year. The reason for the exemption from punishment by the Ministry of Justice is the day when Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule on August 15. Numerous workers and civil organizations had previously spoken out vehemently against Lee’s dismissal.