Samsung leader pleads guilty to using propofol, the sedative that killed Michael Jackson

• The leader of Samsung pleaded guilty to using propofol.
• He said he took it for stress over his father's hospitalization and separate legal troubles.

The de facto leader of Samsung pleaded guilty to using propofol, the sedative that killed Michael Jackson.

Jay Y. Lee, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, told a South Korean court on Tuesday that he had used the drug unlawfully, Reuters reported.

He said he received propofol 41 times between 2015 and 2020, with his lawyers saying he got it for medical purposes due to stress, first after his father was hospitalized and then over a different trial that saw him convicted in January, Reuters reported.

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The use of propofol killed Michael Jackson in 2009. The drug is used as an anesthetic, including in US hospitals. Prosecutors said that Jackson was prescribed the drug for insomnia, but died after he was given a strong dose.

Lee told the court that "this matter originated as for treatment, but I am deeply regretful."

People can be prosecuted in South Korea if they receive a controlled substance that was decided to have been administered illegally, according to Reuters.

He could be fined the equivalent of $58,327 if he convicted, Reuters reported.

A court ruling is due on October 26, per Reuters.