South Korea court to rule on arrest warrant for Samsung heir

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong (centre) arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul, South Korea, on June 8, 2020. - AP

SEOUL (AFP): The heir to South Korea's Samsung empire appeared in court Monday as judges deliberate on whether to detain him over a controversial merger of two business units seen as a key step to his succession.

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, is already being re-tried on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with a corruption scandal that brought down former South Korean president Park Geun-hye.