Yet even in Korea, there is dogged resistance to reform, as the current row over the forced merger of the LG and Hyundai semiconductor units shows.

CNN: THE LONG, HARD CLIMB BACK UP

After one large American merger, the two firms had a row over the annual picnic: employees of one company were accustomed to inviting spouses, the others were dead set against the idea.

ECONOMIST: After the deal

Nevertheless, it is unclear how a transatlantic row can be avoided along the lines of the spat in 2001, when a planned merger between General Electric and Honeywell caused a stink.

ECONOMIST: Oracle and Sun Microsystems