We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mergers of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) in Korea, where SPACs—since their introduction in 2010—have played a significant role in private company public listings. After the COVID-19 outbreak, SPACs were less likely to merge,...

The Korean government doubled the total assets threshold for its large business group (chaebol) designation policy in 2016. Exploiting this policy change, I examine the value implications of a firm’s chaebol affiliation. My results suggest that firms affiliated with business groups that had...