A South Korean court on Wednesday rejected an injunction request by U.S. hedge fund Elliott Associates to block a proposed merger of two Samsung Group affiliates, paving the way for the deal proceedings crucial for the group's leadership transition. Elliott, the third-largest shareholder of Samsung C&T, the group's construction and trading unit, filed two injunctions early this month, asking the court to stop a shareholder vote on July 17 on the merger plan between the builder and Cheil Industries, Samsung's de facto holding company.