The chairman of South Korean food and entertainment conglomerate CJ Group, who had been arrested for massive slush funds, successfully underwent a five-hour kidney transplant surgery in Seoul Wednesday, the group said.

Lee Jay-hyun has been taken to a recovery room of the Seoul National University Hospital in downtown Seoul after he had an operation to receive a kidney from his wife, CJ said.

Lee had been behind bars since early last month under a court-issued arrest warrant pending trial on charges of creating a massive slush fund.

Last week, a local court decided to suspend implementing Lee’s custody for three months, accepting a request by his lawyer for hospital treatment.

Lee’s place of stay is limited to his home and the hospital. (Yonhap News)