LG, South Korea's cuddliest chaebol, wants a sharper edge

BEFORE LG EXECUTIVES mull a new product, corporate types in South Korea like to joke, they first ask themselves: "Has Samsung already done this?" Only if the answer is "yes" does the country's fourth-biggest conglomerate, which makes everything from consumer electronics and cosmetics to chemicals and health-care goods, move ahead with the plan. The gibe says a lot about how LG is perceived on its home turf. Unlike Samsung, South Korea's largest chaebol, which has been mired in scandal, LG oozes ...