Part of the differences between chaebol and zaibatsu is in the restrictions on banking that may have helped Korea keep chaebol from collapsing. You’re correct

Part of the differences between chaebol and zaibatsu is in the restrictions on banking that may have helped Korea keep chaebol from collapsing. You’re correct that chaebol are far closer to preWW2 zaibatsu overall. Keiretsu are professionally managed and more decentralized though than family-owned and managed chaebol. It’s not really clear if Japan would have fared much better by staying centralized or if South Korea could be doing even better with decentralization. I have my doubts that Samsung could have made it to where it is on an international brand scale if it was forcibly decentralized (Korea has the most bizarre record when it comes to branding arguably due to lack of innovation).