You might be seeing names like Lee Sung Jin in the news, linked to powerful South Korean companies. What you're actually hearing about are "chaebols," family-controlled giants that shape nearly every aspect of life in South Korea, often in ways you wouldn't expect.
Chaebols are massive, family-controlled business conglomerates that dominate South Korea's economy.
Think of them as huge, diversified empires like Samsung, Hyundai, and LG, often founded by a single family and still largely managed by their descendants.