The Untouchable Chaebols of South Korea | Open Secrets 

Yumi father has fought so hard, not only for his daughter but others who also died due to the poor management. I'm glad Vice deliver this in such a way where we could feel the root problem of our society.

I worked for Samsung for 5 years, in marketing. I am proud of Yumi's father for standing up to my previous employer. Even someone with no power can make a difference in the world.

“Presidents and Prime Ministers are temporary but Chaebols are forever”. This sums up the power structure in S. Korea. It will not change.

Every country has their own "chaebols" but whats unique to South Korea's case is that SAMSUNG literally rule their country. No other country government will allow a corporation to dictate how their country is run but considering SAMSUNG feeds 20% of their country's economy makes them untouchable. And as you can see, this documentary proves that people of power controls their media too. If you are observant of South Korea, you will see that when someone in power gets in to a scandal, their media/journalists will write about celebrity scandal and release articles about it almost everyday. Its a vicious cycle that is so obvious not to notice. This is how they control their people, thru fake celebrity gossips. SAMSUNG makes up 20% of their SoKor's economy? that basically makes them the ruler.

The thing about Asia is that family values rule society, but _family rules society._ It's honestly pervasive how deep these dynasties run. I go to a private school on scholarship (the same school where the people Crazy Rich Asians was based on attended) and often there's five or six students all from the same family attending our school. These clans aren't just national, they're international, spanning across Asia and sometimes the world. Banking, politics, business, and so on - the power isn't in the hands of the people, it's in the hands of the "untouchables". The amount of power a few select families control is genuinely staggering.

Just boggles my mind how radically different lives Koreans in the North & South of 38th parallel are living. One repressed by a brutal dictator the other burdened by Hyper capitalistic society.

I cried when he talked about how he felt he wasn't brave enough to throw her ashes into the faces of those Samsung people that came to the funeral. He is a very brave man. He has my utmost respect for fighting so much for his daughter. She'd be so proud.

Yumi's father is truly remarkable. He is an unassuming man with little financial power, but he stood up to one of the most powerful companies in the world. He stood up to a system, a government, a monopoly, a way of life-and through courage and determination, he nearly brought those powers to their knees. It goes to show the strength one individual, a father fueled by his love for his daughter. Power to the people!

I need VICE Asia to do one of these in the Philippines. It would be terrifying, but people need to know more about the political dynasties. We suffer due to ignorance and the rampant silencing of activists and journalists in our country.

It’s interesting to see South Korea in a different light. Whenever South Korea comes in mind, people are quick to say that the country’s just all about K-pop, K-dramas, their street food, their iconic landmarks and tourist hotspots, so on and so forth. There’s always a dark side to every country, and South Korea doesn’t differ from that. The untouchables inherit so much power and authority that even those below in rank them just can’t compare. It goes to show that even in South Korea inequality, marginalization, and discrimination are pretty much overshadowed. I’ve heard stories of foreigners getting unfair treatment, and even some of them couldn’t get the justice that they rightfully deserve. Overall, there’s some things that are needed to be spoken about more to gain more awareness and attention all around.

In my country, there's a phrase that goes "Ang hirap maging mahirap" which translates to "It's hard being poor". This sums up what I have realized with this documentary. It's hard fighting for what is right if we're powerless since money is power. Justice is served mostly to the rich, while the poor remains defeated.

It's crazy to see how chaebols are idolized in korean dramas too. It makes me rethink the love stories between the poor "commoner" girl and the rich chaebol, who is considered desirable.

The running joke in Korea is Why is prison better than the military? The answer is- You'll find plenty of corrupt politicians/CEOs in prison (so the facilities are quite humane, food is decent, etc.) so every time they complain about their human rights, the prison facilities will change immediately. But there is zero chance of finding the children of said politicians/CEOs in the military (many kids from powerful families find a way to skip military service). Thus, no matter how many conscripts kill themselves/are abused to death, no one cares. Says a lot about how things are run here

It's heartbreaking how Yumi's father shared Yumi's story. The story itself is so tragic, and now it's being told by her father, recalling each painful memory, so that her story will be heard. I can't imagine the pain Yumi's family had to go through...and it's so sad that there are other workers, and their families, who suffered like this

I have a friend who got a job in samsung marketing right out of university in malaysia. Everyone around her were in awe of her and were so proud of her. Truth was she became so depressed. Her bosses used to overwork her, she had to do jobs that she was not contracted to do and worked most saturdays too, even if her hours were during the week.

I'm proud of Yumi's father. I'm in awe of his courage to fight. And thank you as well to independent media and those that helped the victims. Thank you Vice Asia for not being afraid to get this story out.

Samsung isnt the only company with its dark acts but it is just interesting how this company controls a whole country. Samsung is so entwined with South Koreas everyday lives that its so easy to control the masses. My condolences to the familys being treated like this. Always nice people who are taken advantage of in this world. Its so hard to understand how this world works and not get tainted by the cesspool of this world.

To clarify for some who think koreans are not talking enough about the issues or try to demean the whole nation.. being of korean descent myself and having lived and visited various times there, I’ve come to realize that they are indeed very well aware of their reality. Just meeting my own family members in Korea made me realize, they suffer, endure and live by horrible realities day by day. I have family members that disappeared leaving huge debts on their children, others that work in big corporates and have formed a beautiful family but are never ‘enough’ because they are not ‘chaebols’, or have only developed extreme social anxiety disorders. And the most intelligent and studious person of all but graduated “second” at school because the “first” bought the answers at ‘hagwons’. Or neglected and looked down upon people just because of disabilities, when he is a national paralympic athlete. Oh and grandparents that lived through war and extremely abusive relationships but are just living by the modernity with all their traumas. I met grandmas that still sing japanese songs that they were taught when little because during the japanese colonial era, korean culture/language was tried to be completely erased. Trust me, our heroes are not just ‘bts’ or some ‘chabeols’ with money, but the people that fought and sacrificed their lives for us to be able to speak the language in the present & maintain what’s left of our beautiful culture. Popular media only sell what will attract people, and judging a whole country by that, just strengthens your ignorance. People that actually do something to remember the history, fight for injustices, or just survive in such cruel reality, care less about these topics becoming viral. Why? Because they don’t care? No, because they are busy living by or fighting against the rules of their world. So, it’s truly refreshing to see VICE Asia, or any bigger media companies tackle these issues that help paint the whole picture of our complex nation (as any other country in the world). There are so many things media will never tackle upon, but people live through it and will remember in their hearts and soul, forever. At the end, what ‘sells’ is not of true value, but the integrity people decide to hold on in their short lives on this earth.

The part which got me is them saying“do you think big companies like samsung would file in false report just because some of the workers died from leukemia"!! Like seriously why wouldn't they....? They will obviously do anything to save themselves!!

I received Higher diploma in Korean Language, worked three years in Samsung Construction in their abroad projects,(3 different projects in Bangladesh) surrounded by Koreans. Though they were all civil people not chaebol, there is something off with them, abnormal behavior with there fellow staffs (verbal abusement) and always being stressed and without solid reason make other people stressed. i believe this is from these companies work pressure and inflexibility with their employees. I was traumatized for a time being for their overall unhealthy working environment and glad that i could manage to replace my job.

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world", Thank you VICE for highlighting this issue.

I hope Yumi's parents can rest well knowing that they have done all they can to fight for justice in a country where big companies get away with anything. Rest in peace Yumi and others. I'll definitely think twice the next time I buy any Samsung products.

Coming back here while watching Reborn Rich on going. Gosh, the drama realistically show us the chaebol dominance in SK.

I hope the producer of this video doesn't disappear from earth surface

Genuinely impressed by the quality and presentation of documentaries in the Open Secret series. This is what true journalism should be, so the public knows the truth even though it's already open secret. Passing judgment is another thing but we should have the chance to know and decide for ourselves. Great job done well, VICE Asia! Looking forward to seeing more of these!

This is what true journalism is all about...no holds barred. Thank you. Greatly appreciate it.

Note that this video is blocked in South Korea... I wonder why 🤔

I think this is happening not only in South Korea but also in many so-called democracies where the rich have driven the government for their own sake. Kudos for Yumi's Father for standing up and become inspiration

The daughter's story could be made into a movie, which can attract way more attention than a legal case. Attention to what happens at Samsung and "stays" at Samsung.

I see a lot of happy comments saying that Yumi's dad won the battle and defeated Samsung. Just know that their CEO and all the higher executives were never held responsible for what happened. Samsung is still one of the biggest companies in South Korea. This is when we should use our own capital to boycott Samsung's products. Samsung made a lot of money oversea and contribute to Korea's GDP, causing them to have immense power. We might admire Yumi's dad for standing up to such a big conglomerate but as individual, we can also make a small difference leading up to a bigger impact too.

I've been watching a lot of kdramas that explore the class divide and chaebols recently and I had no idea it pulls so literally from reality. This breaks my heart..

Another fantastic piece from Vice. As a Korean living in Seoul, I couldn't have told this story any better. No surprise, this video is banned in South Korea. I came across it while using a VPN...

Vice is back in form. Korea's chaebol situation is very unique because in no other country so few companies hold such a massive sway over economy. It feels like a corporate dystopia.

There is a Korean movie about Yumi Huang's story and I respect the courage of the director and the producer for producing such a movie against a big conglomerate like Samsung (although in the movie they changed the name of the company, but I guess most Korean knows it is about Samsung)

What a brave story. Admiration and respect to all the common people who agreed to be interviewed and have their perspectives and identities known. Keep making stories of this quality, VICE Korea.

I studied in a school that is also considered prominent in my country. Rich people think differently and I laugh at how pathetic they are. That's why whenever I see someone patronizing wealthy people I just laugh at how ridiculous they are. Most of them are mentally unstable and they are obsessed with grandiosity.

as much as i love listening to kpop and watching kdramas, i acknowledge, there is a side to south korea that foreigners will ignore to live in this "world" created by the art and culture. i'm glad vice asia is shedding light on chaebols, the hyper capitalism that exists, and south korea's law system. hope more people will watch this.

I want to see a video on America's "chaebols" now. That would also be quite interesting! There is a global corporatocracy that must be exposed.

This is called journalism. Proud of you guys for being so honest & letting the family of victim share their story. 💕

Thank you for this great documentary and everyone who is participating in it. I've learned so much.. condolences to families as well :(

This is when family values ruin a society. I'm in an Asian country and political dynasties behave exactly like the chaebols of Korea, and in some cases are also business families that have their fingers in local businesses. They rule over everything, especially in small towns; it's practically feudalism dressed up as democracy.

this is just so bad, i cant imagine how the father feels, my thoughts and prayer for hwang yumi she deserves justice

Thank you vice asia. You did an incredibly amazing job in shedding light on this horrible issue.

Gotta say this is a top-notch documentary.

Unusual in South Korea you call them Chaebols in Japan the term Zaibatsu is used. In some parts of Southeast Asia you call them Cronies. In Hong Kong you call them Taipan In the West you call them Big Tech or Robber Barons or Oligarchs in Russia etc etc it has different names same meaning a clique of wealthy individuals who control the most important key companies of the county's economy and dominate them that if governments try to removed them they risk economic catastrophe.

"we are noticing that the gains of the chaebols are coming from someone else's sacrifices " . This is so deep. And so sad reality of life💔

Random fact: this video is blocked from viewership in South Korea. I actually had to use a VPN to watch it. Gee, I wonder how and why that happened. *scratches chin sarcastically*

Im glad vice put this out i live in us and i watch Netflix shows and now I understand some of the shows well done vice great piece

All those deaths could've been prevented by acknowledging the problem and taking accountability. I wonder what's so hard for a company to practice that. Corporations and capitalism have made humans value money more than human lives. Deepest condolences to the families affected, I hope they find their peace

I cried so much watching this. We really live in a terrible world that could be so much better for everyone if people weren’t this selfish. I’m so sorry to Yumi and all the other workers, they didn’t deserve that.

It was disgusting that the manager said Samsung has no money... What planet are they on? And all of this over not providing cheap protective equipment. I don't understand how a company can fail so badly in something so simple and not rectify it over such a long period of time. Feel so bad for Yumi and the other victims, hopefully their families get peace.

Bless this channel for providing justice to the affected families. This is what journalism and media should be. May God bless the people behind making these contents.

My heart goes out to all victims and their families! Irony is Samsung medical centre has one of the best cancer centers in Asia and around world. Its so sad to hear about the girl going cx of leukemia due to chemical exposure. I can feel for the father and family! as an oncologist i know the strain cancer patients families go through! Its heart wrenching. I was recently offered a short course in precision medicine in Hemato-oncology from Samsung medical centre but could not make it to Korea cx of visa delay. I didnot know this story back then thank you vice for bringing this up👏👏

Whenever I see western people talk highly about s.korea I am happy but too often its fans of the music, they really don't know the big corruption issues happening. S.korea needs lots of development still when it comes to political and social issues. I'm happy to see it grow but as someone who lived there to see the good and bad I'm glad the issues also get exposed to the world so that pressure to fix them grows.

Vice, i appreciate all youve done. Keep it up. More of this as well.

Excellent journalism by Vice. Thanks for bringing this to light

Now I understand why South Korea is accepting workers from other countries to work in factories because of this kind of issue. My friends told me who have relatives who work in South Korea that some Koreans don't want to work in factories and prefer another type of job.

I mean, the greatest south korean movie ever to produced was based of ideal/premise in the movie called Parasite..

May Yumi and all of the workers that passed away rest in eternal peace🙏🏽🤲🏽🕊️

Yumi's story and her father made me very. What strength and so much love, that made her father went to that lengths to seek justice

It's predictable for me when Yumi's father said they had to go to the hospital at 4:30 am for his daughter's operation - it's always uncommon and unusual to do that at that time. Not surprising that Yumi still passed away, even after treatments and probably a crazy amount of money. I feel bad for Yumi's dad. Throughout the entire video, he looks calm and rational, but as a sensitive person, I am able to detect his hopelessness, anger, and sadness. When he sat on the mountains, tears went down my face. Heartbreaking, as I can tell. "If she's alive, she would have married, have a family of one or two kids." I always ask myself, it'd be great if fantasy can be a reality, and that's exactly the reason for that. Her dad is brave. I'm sure her daughter will be proud of him in heaven. He's righteous and invincible, to some extent. It's sad and indignant to see that a corporation did nothing but avoid at all costs. I'm convinced that not only does Samsung claim that "She died because her personal health problems," but every big company does the same as well. Ironically, on the other hand, is that most media cooperations are under control. VICE is the same. They can firm and edit it into the video, in my opinion, is that they want to create a false feeling to the normal people, that they seem to have the power to be against the mainstream media; however it's impossible, just like in this case. Yumi's father won, but what about others? Other victim families and other big companies? No idea. Completely being emotional in the comment sections, because I can't help but do so.

One can tell from the dryness of the eyes of Yumi's father that he probably shed so many tears that it is not possible to shed anymore.

Thank you VICE for bringing this to light! Excellent documentary

Thank god u uploaded it again 🤧🤧

This was the best documentary VICE made in a long time.

Seems common to all countries. We all have untouchable groups, that when faced with controversy always come out on top without consequences. If you have money, you're safe from laws that really only govern poor people. These Chaebols remind me of Corpos in cyberpunk stories. Super wealthy, powerful, influential, and above the law. Dystopic.

Excellent work, Vice.

oh wow vice is back with their quality documentary!

rest in peace Yumi hwang. May god give her parents the strength to endure this loss of a lifetime

Excellent reporting. Thank you Vice. My heart goes out to all the victims and their families.

You are so strong, yumi's father! Everyone who help the family are all so courageous!

Yumi's father is such a brave and genuine person. He is a great human being. May God Bless Him.

The funny thing is that I just watched a K-drama not too long ago. In the drama, the protagonist, a prosecutor, who sent a chaebol to the jail for murder and corruption, predicted that the chaebol won't serve much time in jail, because the chaebol is too important for the nation economy. A week later, in real world, the president pardoned samsung's heir, for the same reason, for economy, amazing.

Thanks to Yumi and Yumi's family for bringing the change. Big respect to all to accept the change. Thank you Vice.

awesome video! Thank you!

this touched my heart 😢rip to yummi and other employers who suffered similar fate

What always upsets me is how elected officials, civilian workers and police who are humans on the clock refuse to acknowledge that they make the world go round. The rich need the people which is why people should always stand up for one another and what is right. Not what will benefit them for a moment or make them look good. This was so heartbreaking. I know this occurs everywhere too.

Really looking forward to this!

im really sad and shooked ...hope all their souls rests in peace

Thank you VICE for sharing these stories. If Yumi Hwang story had been shared to the world earlier, I think as a collective we could solve the case sooner. Thank goodness, Samsung handled the case already. Was just about to dump my Samsung phone. Dont need to get my hand dirty.

So hardbreaking story. Large conglomerats and techgiants who getting more powerful and untouchable last years all this facts says that what the world is so fragile. But humankind should always fight against evil, unresponsibility and win all of them. Thank you Vice!

This shows that with united efforts and perseverance we can fight against the toughest n most powerful people. Very well documented video. Thank you for making such videos and showing the truth about the world which many of us wouldn't have known. I hope you continue to make such videos

My heart was broken when I saw his tears. He didn't show his sorrow when he talked about his daughter or when he fight for her. But after ten years of struggle the lights just came out.

The power of a father's love. What an extraordinary achievement, and hopefully the beginning of change.

I watched this documentary a month or so ago (via VPN bc at the time it’s not accessible during those times) as it was recommended by a tiktoker on Tiktok, all I can say is this is a Next level of journalism that some people are afraid to touch this particular subject of these companies negligence and exploitation of there workers Health and wellness. But also tragically treating their families nothing but imbeciles, I was so moved and heartbroken to the father as he wanted to get justice so much that he wanted to throw the ashes of her daughter to the representatives of Samsung who came to her ashes scattering ceremony.

glad you refreshed this episode. I remember seeing it a while ago, and it's good to keep getting the message out about how things are there.

Very saddening story. I almost cried when Yumi's father had been telling Yumi's final moment. It's like with greater good comes grater evil as Amish Tripathi said 🙂

Thats good journalism.... Presenting a story as it is without distortion 👍🏻 I guess every country is facing this great economic divide where power rests in the hands of few wealthy people and the vast majority is powerless and exploited. Rich can bend rules to thier wish ... Sad.

I love when RU-vid recommends me vice videos they are always so interesting and well done

They are everywhere in Asia not only in South Korea. Democracy is just a front for many community/country that attained wealth & power through consumerism. Forget about cancel culture - if people learn to stay away from products/services this family-companies created - they would not have power against smaller people. But being comfortable because of their products & goods had already made us all blind, myself included.

This was heart breaking, it’s the ultimate cruelty for a parent to outlive a child 🖤

i haven't finished watching this. but wow this topic is so interesting.

The father of Yumi is a hero! She must have been very proud of her father…What an eye opening documentary Vice🙌🏼 I kind of knew that was going on but you she’d some better light on it…The only solution might be to boycott all these companies…But we are in it too deep I am afraid. God Bless all🙏🏼🍀👋🏼🇨🇦

Yes, the large companies lifted South Korea from poverty to prosperity, all within one generation, a superhuman achievement. However, the country is now paying the cost of that economic strategy. As with other corporations and conglomerates around the world, when they acquire that much money and the attached political connections, they are now beyond prosecution. Their only mandate is to maximize shareholder profit, and they operate with impunity to acheive that single objective. They don't give a rat's ass about the environment, employees, or using their vast wealth to serve communities. Lying, cheating, tax evasion, inadequate wages, and anything else they can get away with are all acceptable ways to do business in their view because who is going to stop them? Are there other solutions besides full-out revolution?

Is not just in Korea, everywhere is the same!

This explains the power, impact, and success of Squid Game and some of the pointed remarks and storylines in Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Good video.

I've seen these things in their drama's and movies that I no longer feel shocked. You will see these stories in every plot and seeing this makes you think "so it's all true after all" Yumi's story and the others who died because of chemical exposure made me remember of the drama Vicenzo... and the villain corporation which is the "Babel group" who's workers also died because of chemicals and they silence those families who grieved with their love ones who died. They paid a meager amount to the families and say sorry but what are those things can do to those who died and continue to die🤔🙄 But this isn't only happening in Korea, in every country their are those powerful families who controls it all. Well how can they evade punishment and taxes? cause they've had money and sadly normal people like us were just canon fodders in their world.

Absolutely heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to those who've lost loved ones due to the chaebols. They deserved better.

the main focus of this video is about the story of Yumi (died due to the lack of workplace chemical safety standard). Samsung is not the only company that has such issue but there are others as well (in various countries). Nation OSH (occupational safety and health) body / authority must play their part well to address such issues. There are others in other company and country face such issue as well particularly in electronics industry where many type of nasty chemical (very toxic, toxic, corrosive) used for their process. Obviously company try to avoid investing in workers safety if possible and push the issue back to the employees if something bad happen.

I cried huhu. To Yumi's father thank you for your bravery! I realized kdramas are a reality also