Chaebol heir 재벌가 후계자 (Jaebeol-ga hugyeja)

Chaebol heir is one of the most durable character archetypes in Korean television. Chaebol (재벌) refers to a specific kind of large, family-controlled South Korean conglomerate; hugyeja (후계자) means heir or successor. The trope works because the chaebol structure is real: a small set of families have controlled a disproportionate share of the South Korean economy for decades.

In drama:

• The heir is almost always a romantic lead. Class friction with a working-class love interest is a primary engine of the plot.
• The chaebol family itself is rarely treated as fully sympathetic. Most series stage at least one boardroom betrayal, succession dispute, or generational conflict over inherited control.
• The trope has been used as a launching pad for sharp critique of South Korean corporate culture (most prominently in Squid Game's peripheral chaebol characters and in Itaewon Class) as well as for pure escapist romance.