Big Take Asia

South Korea’s family-run conglomerates – or chaebols – have been big drivers of economic growth, and because of that they’ve largely been seen as untouchable. Until now. The chaebols are being challenged, at a time when the stakes have potentially never been higher, with the country mired in political turmoil. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg reporter Youkyung Lee about how a surprise takeover bid for one of the world’s biggest refined metal producers, Korea Zinc, is sending a chill through the chaebol world. Read more: Powerful Families Who Dominate South Korea Face an Investor Revolt [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-12-10/korea-s-rich-powerful-families-face-revolt-amid-martial-law-political-chaos?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy] Further listening: The Six Hours of Martial Law That Stunned South Korea [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-six-hours-of-martial-law-that-stunned-south-korea/id1746141911?i=1000679357319] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

In an address broadcast live on Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a move that shocked the nation – and the world. But within hours, after lawmakers unanimously rejected the move and protesters converged on parliament, Yoon went on live television again and backed down, promising to lift the emergency measure. On today's Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha sits down with Bloomberg’s Sam Kim in Seoul to break down the stunning turn of events. They talk about what happened on the ground during the brief period of martial law, and what the political chaos means for an emerging democracy that remains a key military ally and trading partner of the US.   See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

India’s Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, was charged last week by US prosecutors over his alleged involvement in a $250 million bribery scheme. The indictment sent the stocks and bonds of Adani’s vast conglomerate tumbling and is the second governance crisis to hit the group in two years.  On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host K. Oanh Ha and Bloomberg’s Menaka Doshi discuss what the charges mean for Adani’s empire and corporate India, and the implications for US-India relations. Read more: Gautam Adani Bribery Charges Impact His Net Worth, Markets Beyond India [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-11-21/gautam-adani-bribery-charges-impact-his-net-worth-markets-beyond-india?srnd=undefined] Further listening: $200 Billion, Four Heirs And One Mighty Empire [https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/%24200-billion-four-heirs-and-one-mighty-empire/id1578096201?i=1000664528131] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Every year, billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China, even though on paper the country hasn’t imported a single drop in more than two years. How? On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha speaks to Bloomberg’s Serene Cheong on her team’s investigation into a clandestine shipping hub off the coast of Malaysia that funnels Iranian crude to China. Read more: The Clandestine Oil Shipping Hub Funneling Iranian Crude to China [https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-iran-south-china-sea-oil-trade/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Higher tariffs. Geopolitical flare-ups. Inflammatory comments. All across Asia, countries are bracing for the return of Donald Trump. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, we unpack what a second Trump term means for China, India and other Asian economies – who are the potential winners and losers and what’s ahead. Host K. Oanh Ha is joined by Daniel Ten Kate, Bloomberg’s executive editor for Asia economy and government, Chan Heng Chee, the ambassador-at-large with the Singapore Foreign Ministry, and Erin Murphy, deputy director of Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read more: Trump Is Set to Elevate China Hawks, Deepening Beijing Rift [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/trump-s-security-advisor-pick-sees-china-as-the-greater-threat]Further listening: The Economic Impact of Trump’s Promises [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-economic-impact-of-trumps-promises/id1578096201?i=1000676550593] Become a Bloomberg.com [http://bloomberg.com/] subscriber using our special intro offer at bloomberg.com/podcastoffer [https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts?utm_campaign=BigTakeDaily&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=Podcast]. You’ll get episodes of this podcast ad-free and unlock access to deep reporting, data and analysis from reporters around the world. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.