The legal drama playing out in Seoul over whether Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong engaged in bribery and embezzlement has the feel of a Greek tragedy. It is a tale of an ambitious son trying to live up to his father's legacy — and the twist of fate that binds them together.
Lee is the crown prince of South Korea's most powerful business dynasty. His family, through a complex network of cross shareholdings, controls the Samsung Group, a vast corporate empire with more than $230 billion in revenue and tentacles that extend into financial services, hotels, biopharmaceuticals and fashion.
But the coronation has been disrupted.