The typical culture at one of these conglomesrates is highly paternalistic in nature . Much of the environment is defined by the chairman who acts as a " fatherly-figure " to his subordinates . This can be traced back to the infusion of Neo-Confucian values that permeate Korean society . A chaebol head 's demeanor towards his employee can be described as " loving " while maintaining " sternness and a sense of responsibility " . Workers commit to long hours , most notably on weekends and holidays , in order to appease their superiors . Company outings and drinking sessions tend to be compulsory as to foster a sense of family and belonging among employees . Employers believe that enhancing a common bond between them would translate into prosperity and productivity for the company . Other practices that would be uncommon for Western workplaces to engage in include gift-giving to employees and arranging dates for workers in search of relationships or marriage . The chaebol are notoriously hierarchical . As such , it is unusual for an individual to challenge or question the decision-making of his or her boss . This dynamic adds to the culture that orients itself around whoever is in charge ; but can lead to undesirable circumstances . For example , the Asiana flight 214 crash led critics to speculate that cultural factors prevented a pilot on board from aborting the low-speed landing and thus straying from his superior 's commands . Promotion is rarely merit based . Rather , it is through order of age and time served to the conglomerate . This is reflected by the fact that most executives are far older than their employees . If a worker does not attain an executive or high-management role by the age of fifty , he or she is commonly forced into resignation . Again , this is attributable to the age-hierarchy dynamics in Korean Confucian culture . Loyalty to the firm is heavily emphasized at the chaebol . Signs of this is evident in standard recruiting process , where newly acquired employees undergo intense initiations . Activities in these tests include training camps and singing company unique songs that reiterate the production goals of the firm
Asiana flight 214
Asiana Airlines Flight 214
Chaebol