18 Jan 2021 / 16:03 H.
* Lee needs to serve 18 months, after serving a year in 2017-2018
* Ruling signals no more leniency to S.Korean business leaders
* Long-term strategic decisions could be affected-analysts
* Samsung affiliates' shares fall sharply (Writes through, adds analyst, business lobby comments)
By Joyce Lee
SEOUL, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A South Korean court sentenced Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee to two and a half years in prison on Monday, which could delay the group's ownership restructuring following the death of Lee's father in October.
The ruling also cements a major shift in South Korea's view on wrongdoings committed by the owners of the country's powerful conglomerates, or chaebol, which led the country's economic rise after the Korean War on the back of what has been criticised as cozy relations with politicians.