HYBE recently granted executives and employees around 3 billion won in restricted stock units (RSUs).
Since RSUs are used as a compensation tool for long-term growth and talent acquisition of corporations, analysts and experts interpret this as "a positive signal."
According to the Financial Supervisory Service electronic disclosure system on the 25th, HYBE distributed a total of 12,142 shares as RSUs to 32 employees. This is the second distribution, following HYBE's issuance of 16,396 shares to 34 employees in December 2024. To date, a total of 28,538 shares have been issued, amounting to a total of 5.8 billion won.
RSUs, along with stock options, are representative "stock-based compensation tools" that corporations use to attract key talent and encourage long-term performance.
RSUs are a system that grants shares to employees free of charge upon meeting certain conditions, generally requiring a minimum period of employment or the achievement of specific performance goals.
While stock options provide the right to purchase shares at a set price, allowing for profit realization as share prices rise, RSUs are a compensation method that considers both achievement and employment status.
As a result, RSUs are considered a more effective incentive tool for promoting long-term performance retention and commitment to the organization than stock options, which are only linked to short-term stock prices.
Professor Jeong-ho Choi of the Business Administration Department at Sogang University said, "RSUs are a means to encourage long-term employment of employees through a vesting period and to motivate performance by granting ownership to key talent," adding, "If strategic decision-making by top executives is added to this, there is a high possibility of leading to improved corporate performance."
The outlook for HYBE from the securities industry is also positive.
Seon-hwa Lee, a researcher at KB Securities, noted, "There is abundant momentum due to aggressive expansion of the new artist pipeline, all BTS members formally returning from military service in 2025, expansion of performance scales by major artists, the start of world tours by early-career artists, and diversification of revenue generation methods on the Weverse platform."
She added, "Additionally, there is an expectation of benefiting from the lifting of the South Korean ban on Chinese pop culture, free from U.S. tariff issues, so I expect that 2025 will be a year of significant leap for HYBE as a global entertainment corporation."