Koo Yeon-kyung, left, the eldest daughter of the LG chairman who died in 2018, with her mother, Kim Young-shik, and sister, Koo Yeon-sue, right. Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

       Family Split at LG, a South Korean Giant, Tests Corporate Succession

       A lawsuit pitted the former chairman’s widow and daughters against the son he adopted, challenging the patriarchal traditions of a $10 billion conglomerate.

       Koo Yeon-kyung, left, the eldest daughter of the LG chairman who died in 2018, with her mother, Kim Young-shik, and sister, Koo Yeon-sue, right.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

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       By Daisuke Wakabayashi and Victoria Kim

       Reporting from Seoul

       Dec. 18, 2023Updated 10:58 a.m. ET

       When Koo Bon-moo, chairman of South Korean conglomerate LG, died in 2018, there wasn’t much question, at least publicly, of who would next preside over the company.

       LG, a $10 billion corporate empire, is governed by the principle of male primogeniture. Succession was effectively settled 14 years earlier when Mr. Koo and his wife adopted their eldest nephew, Koo Kwang-mo. The adoption was necessitated by tragedy and tradition after the couple’s teenage son died in 1994, and their efforts for another male heir resulted in a second daughter.

       The Koo family has controlled LG since it was founded in 1947, and the transition that elevated Kwang-mo to the helm seemed seamless, burnishing the family’s reputation for harmony.

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       Daisuke Wakabayashi is an Asia business correspondent for The Times based in Seoul, covering economic, corporate and geopolitical stories from the region. More about Daisuke Wakabayashi

       Victoria Kim is a correspondent based in Seoul, focused on international breaking news coverage. More about Victoria Kim

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