Chaebol Chaebol A chaebol (; ) is a large industrial conglomerate that is run and controlled by an owner or family in South Korea. A chaebol often consists of a large number of diversified affiliates, controlled by an owner whose power over the group often exceeds legal authority. The term is often used in a context similar to that of the English word "conglomerate". The term was derived from the Japanese. It was first used in English in 1984. There are several dozen large South Korean family-controlled corporate groups that fall under this definition. The chaebol have also played a significant
Chaebol chaebol had become financially independent and secure, thereby eliminating the need for further government-sponsored credit and assistance. By the 1990s, South Korea was one of the largest newly industrialized countries and boasted a standard of living comparable to industrialized countries. President Kim Young-sam began to challenge the chaebol, but it was not until the 1997 Asian financial crisis that the weaknesses of the system were widely understood. Of the 30 largest chaebol, 11 collapsed between July 1997 and June 1999. Initially, the crisis was caused by a sharp drop in the value of the currency and aside from immediate cash