Among the heads of domestic conglomerates, HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk's stock valuation increased the most in the first quarter of this year (January to March). In contrast, Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin saw a decline of over 600 billion won in stock valuation, and Netmarble Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk also dropped out of the '1 trillion club' due to a sharp decrease in stock assets.
The Korea CXO Research Institute, which specializes in corporate analysis, announced on the 9th the 'Investigation of Major Group Heads' Stock Valuation Changes in the First Quarter of 2025.' The study targeted 43 individuals whose stock valuation exceeded 100 billion won as of the end of March this year, designated by the Fair Trade Commission. The stock assets included equities directly held by the group heads in listed companies, as well as shares in publicly listed affiliates through unlisted firms. For unlisted companies, the study was limited to cases where the shareholding exceeded 50%. Preferred stock was also included in this investigation. Stock valuation was based on closing prices on January 2 and March 31.
The stock valuation for the 43 group heads decreased by 0.3% (181 billion won), from 57.9219 trillion won at the beginning of the year to 57.7401 trillion won by the end of March. Twenty-seven individuals saw an increase in their stock valuation, while 16 experienced a decline. The group head with the most significant increase in stock assets was HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk. Chairman Bang's stock assets jumped from 25.816 trillion won at the beginning of the year to 30.971 trillion won at the end of March, reflecting a 20% increase (515.5 billion won) over three months, influenced significantly by a surge in HYBE's stock price due to expectations for BTS's return.
In terms of growth rate, Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon ranked first with a 45.9% (237.6 billion won) increase. However, since Chairman Kim plans to gift half of his common shares of Hanwha to his three children, his stock assets are expected to decline. Following him were KOLON Honorary Chairman Lee Woong-yeol with a 39.3% (57.9 billion won) increase, Kumho Petrochemical Chairman Park Chan-goo with a 35.6% (64.6 billion won) increase, and Sempio Chairman Lee Soon-hyung with a 33.9% (45.9 billion won) increase, all exceeding a 30% increase in stock valuation in just one quarter.
Some group heads did not fare well. Netmarble Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk saw the largest decline in stock valuation, with a drop of 22.6% (237.4 billion won) from early this year to the end of March. The impact of Netmarble's stock price, which fell from 50,600 won on January 2 to 39,150 won on March 31, was significant. Young Poong Advisor Jang Hyung-jin experienced a decline of 18.6% (131 billion won), Chung Mong-joon of the Asan Foundation (HD Hyundai) saw a decrease of 15.3% (275.2 billion won), Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Chairman Chung Eui-sun faced a drop of 12.6% (62 billion won), while LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo recorded a decline of 10.5% (190.7 billion won), all of whom had a decrease in the 10% range.
The individual with the largest decrease in stock valuation was Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin. His stock assets fell from 10.4309 trillion won at the beginning of the year to 9.7770 trillion won at the end of March, a decline of 6.3% (653.7 billion won).
As of the end of March this year, the individual with the highest stock assets was Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. His stock assets amounted to 12.2312 trillion won, the only among domestic group heads to exceed 10 trillion won. Following him were Celltrion Chairman Seo Jung-jin (9.7770 trillion won), Kakao Founder Kim Beom-soo (4.1249 trillion won), Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Eui-sun (3.7982 trillion won), HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk (3.971 trillion won), KRAFTON Chairman Jang Byung-kyu (2.6334 trillion won), SK Chairman Chey Tae-won (1.6851 trillion won), LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo (1.6212 trillion won), Chung Mong-joon of the Asan Foundation (1.5233 trillion won), and Amorepacific Corporation Chairman Seo Kyung-bae (1.5190 trillion won), in that order.
Although he was not designated as a group head by the Fair Trade Commission and thus excluded from this investigation, Meriz Financial Group Chairman Jo Jung-ho had a stock valuation of 11.9152 trillion won as of the end of March. He ranked second in stock assets after Chairman Lee Jae-yong. On March 6, Chairman Jo surpassed Chairman Lee and briefly ranked first among the country's stock billionaires.