Success Factors of the Korean Corporate Workouts

This paper explores the empirical performances of the workout companies with special interests in the effectiveness of corporate reorganizing tools on their revitalization. In the empirical analysis it considers the criteria of success or failure in restructuring from both creditors' and debtors' perspectives. The key results are summarized as follows. First, the initial conditions on the debt structure of the workout companies are significantly related to the revitalization from both creditors' and debtors' point of view. Second, the debt restructuring instruments are insignificant in the success of corporate turnarounds while the debt-to-equity conversion has been a relatively effective tool. Third, the self-restructuring efforts, employment downsizing and governance reshuffling do not affect the performances significantly. The higher importance of initial conditions than corporate restructuring efforts may imply that Korean corporate workouts serve better to the needs of creditor financial institutions which are to maximize debt recovery and of the government which is to overcome financial crisis