27 Bioneers with Stock Assets Over 10 Billion Won... Krafton Sweeps 1st and 2nd Place

CXO Research Institute Investigates Non-Owner Executives and Shareholders of Companies with Market Cap Over 2 Trillion
Krafton and Shift Up Each Produce 4 Stock Billionaires Holding Over 10 Billion Won

It has been revealed that there are 27 non-owner executives and shareholders holding stocks worth over 10 billion KRW in domestic companies with a market capitalization exceeding 2 trillion KRW. Among the executives of Krafton Group affiliates, four hold stock assets worth over 10 billion KRW, and two exceed 100 billion KRW, ranking first and second in stock valuation.

Krafton Corporate Identity (CI) (Provided by Krafton)

According to the Korea CXO Research Institute, which specializes in corporate analysis, among 3,448 non-owner executives holding at least one share in 149 companies with a market capitalization over 2 trillion KRW, 165 executives had stock assets exceeding 1 billion KRW as of the 6th.

By stock valuation size, the distribution was as follows: under 100 million KRW (1,931 people), 1 billion KRW range (72 people), 2 billion KRW range (34 people), 5 billion to under 10 billion KRW (14 people), 4 billion KRW range (10 people), and 3 billion KRW range (8 people). Those holding over 10 billion KRW numbered 27, an increase of 5 from last year (22 people).

Krafton Group swept the top two spots among non-owner stock-rich executives. Kim Jeong-hoon, CEO of Rising Wings, holds 843,275 shares of Krafton. Multiplying by the closing price on the 6th, this amounts to 272.3 billion KRW, more than double last year's 130.7 billion KRW. The Krafton stock price rose from 155,100 KRW last year to 323,000 KRW this year, influencing this increase. Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han ranked second with stock assets worth 177.1 billion KRW, nearly double last year's 85 billion KRW. Song In-ae, CEO of Bon Angels Venture Partners (42.8 billion KRW), and shareholder Ryu Seong-jung (29.2 billion KRW) also held Krafton stocks worth over 10 billion KRW.

Among non-owners holding stock values exceeding 100 billion KRW, Lee Jeong-ho, CEO of Rainbow Robotics, stands out. Rainbow Robotics is a robotics company in which Samsung Electronics has invested over 10% equity. CEO Lee holds company stocks worth 173.1 billion KRW. He dropped two ranks from first place last year (142.8 billion KRW) to third. Additionally, Technical Director Heo Jeong-woo (50.9 billion KRW) and Technical Director Lim Jeong-su (43.7 billion KRW) also held company stocks valued between 40 and 50 billion KRW.

Excluding Director Heo Jeong-woo, five more non-owner executives fell into the 50 billion to 100 billion KRW range. They include Son In-ho, Vice President of Silicon투 (95.6 billion KRW), Ji Hee-hwan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Pearl Abyss (75.6 billion KRW), Yoon Jae-min, Vice Chairman of Pearl Abyss (72.1 billion KRW), Scott Samuel Brown, Inside Director of HYBE (59.9 billion KRW), and Min Kyung-rip, Vice President of Shift Up (56.2 billion KRW).

At Shift Up, similar to Krafton, four non-owner executives joined the 10 billion KRW club. Alongside Vice President Min Kyung-rip, they are Lee Hyung-bok, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with 31.5 billion KRW, Jo In-sang, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) with 17.4 billion KRW, and Lee Dong-gi, Technical Director with 10.1 billion KRW.

Among non-owner executives who joined the 10 billion KRW club this year from the top 100 companies by sales last year, notable figures include Kim Jeong-nam, Vice Chairman of DB Insurance (12.1 billion KRW), and Kim Yong-beom, Vice Chairman of Meritz Financial Group (31.3 billion KRW). In the pharmaceutical and bio sectors, names such as Yoo Heon-young, CEO of Celltrion Holdings (47.8 billion KRW), Kim Hyung-ki, Vice Chairman of Celltrion (39.3 billion KRW), Ki Woo-sung, Vice Chairman of Celltrion (35.2 billion KRW), and Park Se-jin, President of Ligachem Biosciences (15.1 billion KRW) appeared.

Among those who joined the 10 billion KRW club this year, 12 were in their 30s and 40s, accounting for 44.4% of the total 27. Narrowing down to the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) born after 1980, there were seven. These include Director Brown and CHRO Jo In-sang (born 1981), Director Heo Jeong-woo and Director Lee Dong-gi (born 1982), Vice President Shin Jae-ha of APR (born 1983, 30.4 billion KRW), and Vice President Min Kyung-rip and Technical Director Lim Jeong-su (born 1989).

Major conglomerates such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Hyundai Motor had few non-owner executives holding stock assets over 10 billion KRW. Samsung Electronics had President Park Hak-gyu (1.9 billion KRW) and Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee (1.7 billion KRW) in order. SK Hynix's highest was Vice Chairman Park Jung-ho (3.4 billion KRW), and Hyundai Motor's was President Jose Munoz (2.2 billion KRW).

Oil-seon Oh, director of the CXO Research Institute, said, "In the past, there were professional managers with stock assets exceeding 10 billion KRW in major conglomerates like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, but recently, even exceeding 5 billion KRW is rare. Many emerging stock-rich individuals in their 30s and 40s are appearing, especially active in gaming companies."