For decades the economy has been ruled by so-called chaebol, family-controlled companies that rose from the rubble of the Korean War seven decades ago. These companies, including the aforementioned giants and lesser-known outfits that make everything from K-pop hits to steel, have long been criticized for weak corporate governance, stifling competition and skirting inheritance taxes. With support from authoritarian governments in the 1960s and ’70s, they’ve helped transform South Korea into an economic powerhouse, and today the top four companies account for more than half the value of the Kospi 200 Index.