"While Lee claims there were many areas he did not know much about, (we) cannot give him immunity only due to the fact that (he) was not aware of the peripheral areas," the presiding judge said.

The court gave the same sentence to Samsung Electronics Vice President Kang Kyung-hoon, who was sentenced to 16 months in prison last week for sabotaging labor activities at another Samsung unit.

Both were detained.

Of the 32 indicted in the case, including current and former Samsung employees, suppliers and labor management professionals, 26 were found guilty.

Among those who were charged with union-busting but received suspended sentences were key Samsung affiliate chiefs, including Chung Keum Yong of Samsung C&T Corp. and Won Gee-chan of Samsung Card Co.

While the extent and details of their charges varied, the Samsung executives, who had previously worked at the group's now-defunct elite group, were found guilty of masterminding plans to deter labor activities.

Prosecutors had earlier indicted them on charges of leading and engaging in group-wide efforts to neutralize the labor union by targeting members and leaking sensitive personal data.

The jury said there were "countless documents" detailing tactics to hamper labor activities that were distributed to numerous affiliates by the elite unit, adding the documents themselves "acknowledge the plotting and execution of and collusion in the crime."

The ruling comes six years after the top conglomerate's alleged union-busting first surfaced in 2013, when Justice Party chief Rep.

Sim Sang-jeung unveiled a 150-page document on Samsung's labor management strategy.

It is the second recent blow to the top conglomerate, which advocates a non-labor union policy.

Last week, a different panel of judges at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Samsung Electronics' Kang to 16 months for sabotaging labor activities at Everland, an amusement park run by Samsung C&T.

Samsung declined to comment on either ruling. (Yonhap)