Photo: World Travel & Tourism Council · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Born in Japan · Nationality South Korean — Conglomerates / Lotte Group
Documented profile covering 8 controversies, including “Succession battle with his brother for control of Lotte Group” and “Controversy over Lotte's "Japanese" identity and opaque control structure, followed by public apology”.
Profile No. 0355 · Updated on 12 October 2026
§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology
Case · 4 documented stages
2022-08
Shin received a special pardon on 15 August 2022 from President Yoon Suk Yeol, alongside several major business executives. It lifted remaining restrictions linked to his suspended sentence for bribery and criminal breach of trust, allowing him to resume full management duties.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2003–2019
Shin was definitively found guilty of participating in the leasing of Lotte Cinema concession operations to companies controlled by founding family members on terms unfavourable to Lotte Shopping. The Supreme Court upheld this criminal breach-of-trust count in 2019, alongside his bribery conviction.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2016–2019
During the 2016 investigation into the Lotte family, Shin faced several additional charges: paying salaries to relatives who did not actually work for the group, involving Lotte Engineering in Lotte PS Net's ATM purchases and using affiliates to support that loss-making company. Following appeals, Shin was acquitted of the fictitious salary charges against him and the main Lotte PS Net counts.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2016–2019
Shin was convicted of paying seven billion won to the K-Sports Foundation controlled by Choi Soon-sil following a request from President Park Geun-hye, with courts finding that he sought an advantage concerning Lotte's duty-free licence. He was imprisoned at first instance, then released on appeal with an overall sentence of two years and six months suspended for four years, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2014–2017
Shin Dong-bin and his elder brother Shin Dong-joo publicly fought for control of the Japanese holding companies and Lotte Group. The dispute involved their father Shin Kyuk-ho, dismissals of executives, several shareholder votes and legal proceedings, and publicly exposed the complex family control structure.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2017
Lotte agreed to exchange its Seongju golf course with the South Korean state so that it could host the US THAAD missile defence system. The decision triggered administrative store closures, boycotts, tourism restrictions and other retaliation in China, costing the group substantial sums.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2017
Amid THAAD tensions, a fabricated interview attributed to Shin circulated on Chinese social media and news outlets, ascribing insulting or contemptuous remarks about Chinese consumers to him. Its circulation intensified the Lotte boycott while the group was trying to contain the retaliation.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
2015
The family battle revealed that much of the ultimate control over Lotte Korea passed through Lotte Holdings and Japanese investment companies, although most of the business operated in Korea. The debate over the group's true nationality, opaque ownership structure and family governance became a national issue. Shin Dong-bin apologised and announced plans to list Hotel Lotte and reduce cross-shareholdings.
Last verified: 21 August 2026
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