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It is the second time in a month the special prosecutor's office has sought Lee's arrest.
The same Seoul court rejected its request for a warrant in January but a spokesman for the special prosecutor's office said on Wednesday it had since expanded the charges against Lee to include hiding the proceeds of a criminal act, as well as bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets overseas and perjury.
Two groups of protesters - one calling for Lee's arrest and another carrying South Korean flags and demanding that the warrant request be dismissed - stood outside the courthouse in southern Seoul.
After the hearing concludes, Lee and Park Sang-jin were expected to await the court's decision in a detention center, a prosecution spokesman said. The decision may come late on Thursday or early Friday, based on previous instances.
On Wednesday, Samsung Group repeated an earlier denial on its official Twitter account: "Samsung has absolutely never bribed the president seeking something in return or sought illicit favors."
"We will do our best for the truth to be revealed in court," it said.
The corruption scandal erupted late last year and has engulfed South Korea's political and business elite. Park, who remains in the presidential Blue House, could become the first democratically elected leader in South Korea to leave office in disgrace.
If Lee is arrested it could also deal a serious blow to Samsung, the world's biggest maker of smartphones, memory chips and flat-screen televisions, potentially hampering strategic decision-making such as new investments and acquisitions.
(REUTERS)
