It is to be noted that Lee will be the fourth former South Korean president to be jailed, with his successor Park Geun-Hye imprisoned over a separate graft scandal that toppled her from power in early 2017 and fed concern over cosy ties between government and business.

Lee faced charges of having accepted around $10 million in illegal funds from companies such as conglomerate Samsung and his own intelligence service, but he denied any wrongdoing, saying the investigation was politically motivated.

Meanwhile, the decision has been lauded by the citizens of the country as a good way to curb corruption in the country.