[ THE INVESTOR ] Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho’s two children – Cho Won-tae and Cho Hyun-ah -- may face criminal charges for earning profits from illegal inter-subsidiary transactions among Hanjin companies. The Fair Trade Commission, which has continued a probe into the allegations, will hold a council meeting in September to discuss filing complaints against them. Won-tae, current vice...

[ THE INVESTOR ] SK Group, the nation’s fourth-largest conglomerate, topped the list of 20 conglomerates in terms of trading volume among their affiliates, according to Chaebul.com, a conglomerate-tracking research firm, on Aug. 10. The combined internal trading among SK companies was 33.3 trillion won (US$30 billion) last year, with 24 affiliates earning more than half of their revenue from...

[ THE INVESTOR ] Amid a public outcry, presidential pardons are being discussed to set free some guilty tycoons on Aug. 15 Liberation Day. President Park Geun-hye had hinted she would pardon some jailed chaebol owners, citing economic difficulties. But industry watchers expect the number could be minimized considering negative public sentiment. The final list of those receiving a special par...

[ THE INVESTOR ] Orion Group Chairman Tam Chul-kon , one of some 10 chaebol owners who are likely to receive special presidential pardons on Aug. 15, is expected to wage a legal battle with former executives. On Aug. 2, three former Orion executives filed a petition to Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Justice, seeking the cancellation of the the planned presidential pardon for Tam. Orion...

[ THE INVESTOR ] South Korea’s top five conglomerates have grown even bigger in terms of assets they hold and revenue they produce in the past three years, but their contribution to creating new jobs is lagging, a report showed Sunday. According to conglomerate tracking research firm Chaebul.com, the combined assets of the top five largest companies -- Samsung, Hyundai Motor , SK, LG and Lot...

[ THE INVESTOR ] Renault Samsung Motors is a curious name for many foreign drivers even though they may be well aware that Samsung is not making cars. Back in 2000, right after the Asian financial crisis hit the nation hard, France’s Renault Group acquired then troubled Samsung Motor from Samsung Group. The deal price was 615 billion won ($562 million). Despite the sell-off, Samsung Card , ...

[THE INVESTOR] Samsung's succession has been set in motion, with Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee out of the picture since 2014 due to health problems. His three children have consequently been allotted key roles within Samsung, but there is still speculation about exactly how the group will be reshuffled. The following are some likely scenarios provided by local opinion leaders. Jeong Dae-r...

[ THE INVESTOR ] Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho on July 18 was discharged from a local hospital, some 40 days after he was hospitalized for minor fever. The elder Shin left Asan Medical Center and headed directly to his residence and office at the 34th floor of Hotel Lotte in Sogong-dong, central Seoul. All eyes are now on what kind of role he would play in the ongoing feud between his so...

The tycoons of Korea’s top 10 family-run conglomerates, or chaebol, control their empire with less than 1 percent of equity stake ownership, but are backed by a record-high level of intragroup shareholdings, the nation’s antitrust agency said Thursday. According to the Fair Trade Commission, “owners” of the country’s top 10 chaebol groups hold an average 0.9 percent of their group’s total shares...

[THE INVESTOR] Shin Young-ja, the chairwoman of Lotte Foundation and daughter of Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, appeared at the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office in the morning July 1 as the bribery investigation involving the chairwoman deepens in South Korea. Shin Young-ja is the elder sister of Lotte chairman Shin Dong-bin and SDJ Corp. chief Shin Dong-joo , who have been fighting over...