Samsung heir apologises for corruption, won't hand control to children

He also apologised for the behaviour of executives caught sabotaging labour union activities, and vowed to guarantee labour rights at the tech giant

Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee, embroiled in a bribery scandal, on Wednesday made a rare apology over controversial succession plans and said he will not hand over management rights to his children at the family-controlled conglomerate. His first public statement in five years came after the Supreme Court in August overturned an appeals court ruling on the bribery case, raising the possibility of a tougher sentence and potential return to jail for the chief of South Korea's biggest conglomerate.

"We failed, at times, to meet society's expectations. We even disappointed people and caused concern because we did not strictly