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So sprawling is Samsung Electronics' modern-day empire that some South Koreans say it has become possible to live a "Samsung-only" life: You can use a Samsung credit card to buy a Samsung TV on which to watch a Samsung-owned pro baseball team in your Samsung-made apartment.
Samsung Electronics is South Korea's greatest economic success, and, more recently, also the subject of major controversy. Economists, owners of small and medium-size businesses and even some politicians say the company no longer merely powers the country, but in fact overpowers it, wielding influence that nearly matches that of the government.