Chaebol - ett nödvändigt ont? : En kvalitativ studie av konglomeratens växande inflytande över Sydkoreas statliga autonomi

Sammanfattning

Samsung is not only South Korea’s largest and most valued company but a cultural icon that spreads through the entire cultural space of South Korea. Samsung can be found in South Korea’s education, sports and even in healthcare with Samsung owning their own hospital. One might wonder how a private family-owned company amasses this kind of influence in one of the richest countries in the world. This question inspired this study and showed the means and processes Samsung went through to achieve this coveted position in South Korean society. Samsung is referred to as a chaebol-corporation, which means a large industrial conglomerate which is passed down through the founding family. In Samsung's case, the founder was Lee Byung-Chul and today it is his grandson who runs the company, making it the third generation of Samsung. These chaebol-companies are institutionally connected to the South Korean government as a means to rapidly grow the economy by aggressively expanding in their respective sectors. This system has been studied to a large extent but there is a research gap regarding the institutional influence of a single conglomerate. Drawing on both historical institutionalism and corporatist theory, this study aims to analyze Samsung, as it is South Korea’s largest and most influential company, and how its institutional structure affects South Korea’s state autonomy. This study analyses Samsung's history through the three generations of Lee Byung-Chul’s family tree. This allows the study to show Samsung gained its influence and how it evolved and adapted through the generations.The result of this study shows that Samsung has a considerable influence on South Korea’s state autonomy, as well as the government's decision process and democratization.