South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told parliament on Wednesday that he would recommend to President Yoon Suk-yeol to pardon Jay Lee, vice president of the world's largest memory chip maker Samsung Electronics, Reuters reported.

Lee, heir to the world's second largest contract chipmaker, was convicted of bribery and embezzlement last January but received parole in August after serving 18 months of a 30-month sentence.

If the president agrees, pardons could take place around South Korea's Independence Day on August 15, when they are traditionally awarded.

With Lee's jail term ending on Friday, the pardon would be mostly symbolic, though it would allow the tycoon more freedom to do business.

Following Lee's parole, Samsung's key moves included choosing Texas as the US location of a new $17 billion chip manufacturing facility, merging mobile and consumer electronics divisions, and appointing new CEOs in the biggest reshuffle since 2017.

Lee still faces a separate trial for accounting fraud related to the $8 billion merger between the two Samsung companies in 2015.