UIWANG, South Korea—Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee, convicted of bribery and embezzlement, walked out of prison on parole on Friday, with South Korea’s president calling on the public for understanding over his controversial release. Broad support for his parole grew amid anxiety that major strategic decisions are not being made at the world’s biggest memory chip and smartphone manufacturer without him. President Moon Jae-in’s office said the decision to release Lee was in the national interest. But civic groups have slammed his parole as another sign of leniency for the country’s business elite and one that undermines its justice system. Lee, 53, appeared outside the Seoul Detention Center, wearing a dark grey suit and looking much thinner than when he was last detained in January. Convicted of bribing a friend of former President Park Geun-hye, he served 18 months of a revised 30-month sentence. “I’ve caused much concern …