FTC says rise in unregistered chaebol executives raises accountability concerns
SEJONG — The number of family members serving as unregistered executives at family-run conglomerates, or chaebol, has increased, raising concerns about a growing gap between authority and accountability, the antitrust regulator said Wednesday. Since 2010, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has reviewed and released annual reports on the ownership and governance structures of designated corporate groups as part of its market-monitoring efforts to encourage improvements in management practices. According to the latest report, among the 77 conglomerate groups, 18.2 percent of their 518 affiliates had a member of the owner family formally appointed to the company's board of directors in 2025, the FTC said. The number of owner-family directors totaled 704, accounting for 7 percent of all registered board members this year, up from 5.6 percent in 2021, the FTC said. The ratio of family members serving as unregistered executives also continued to rise, officials said. Among the 77 groups, 7 percent of affiliates, or 198 companies, employed owner-family members as unregistered executives, up from
Nov 19, 2025By Yonhap
