“We are shocked and deeply worried,” the Korea Employers Federation, a pro-business lobby, said in a statement about the arrest.

“Samsung is the global company that represents South Korea, and we fear that the vacuum in its management will weigh heavily on the economy by increasing uncertainty and hurt international credibility.”

But the power of the chaebol is coming up against rising public anger over the perception of corruption and favoritism. Among those 10 biggest chaebol, six of their leaders have been convicted of white-collar crimes. Many have been pardoned or had their sentences suspended or reduced. Chaebol leaders face broader questions as well about whether their economic dominance squelches small business and innovation, accusations that their lobbyist denies.

Reflecting the public mood, the governing — and usually pro-business — Liberty Korea Party said it respected the court’s decision to arrest Mr. Lee and expressed “regrets that the people have been again disappointed by the deep-rooted collusion between politics and business.”

Mr. Lee is accused of bribery, embezzlement and perjury as part of an investigation into a confidante of the country’s president, Park Geun-hye. Ms. Park now faces impeachment. Samsung has said Mr. Lee will work to clear his name in court.

The police arrested Mr. Lee and took him into custody, an unprecedented move for a major Samsung official. But in terms of accusations of wrongdoing against a top executive, Samsung has been there before. Mr. Lee’s father, Lee Kun-hee, Samsung’s chairman, has twice been convicted of bribery and tax evasion.

Still, the elder Mr. Lee never spent time in prison. The fate of the young Mr. Lee, critics of the chaebol say, will be a test of the country’s young democracy and judicial system.