Leaders Index Analyzes Asset Fluctuations of 623 Owner Family Members
Total Assets of Owner Families Reach 144.4857 Trillion Won
Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong Tops the List with 16.6267 Trillion Won
Surge in Samsung C&T Share Price Drives A
In the first half of this year, the asset value of the owner families of South Korea's top 50 conglomerates increased by approximately 33 trillion won, approaching a total of 145 trillion won.
According to an analysis by Leaders Index on September 2, which examined the asset value changes of 623 individuals from the owner families of the top 50 conglomerates who hold shares in affiliates, their combined assets amounted to 144.4857 trillion won, an increase of 32.9391 trillion won compared to the beginning of the year.
This survey covered both listed and unlisted companies. For listed companies, closing prices on January 2 and August 29 were compared, while for unlisted companies, net asset value was calculated based on financial statements and semiannual reports.
The individual whose assets increased the most was Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics. His assets grew by 4.7167 trillion won in the first half alone, reaching approximately 16.6267 trillion won. This result is attributed to the rise in the stock prices of listed companies he holds. In particular, the share price of Samsung C&T surged by more than 48% compared to the beginning of the year, raising the value of Lee’s 19.9% stake by 1.8465 trillion won.
The assets of other members of the Samsung family also saw significant increases this year, including Lee Boo-jin, President of Hotel Shilla (up 1.9444 trillion won), Hong Ra-hee, Honorary Director of Leeum Museum of Art (up 1.6982 trillion won), and Lee Seo-hyun, President of Strategy and Planning at Samsung C&T (up 1.5865 trillion won). Altogether, the Samsung family’s assets increased by 10.0446 trillion won this year alone.
The second-largest individual asset increase was recorded by Cho Hyun-joon, Chairman of Hyosung Group, whose assets rose by 1.9873 trillion won to a total of 2.9964 trillion won. His assets increased through inheritance of shares and share exchanges among siblings following the passing of Honorary Chairman Cho Suck-rae. Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, saw his assets grow by 1.8348 trillion won, largely due to a surge in the value of his shares following a stock dividend by Hyundai Glovis. The rise in share prices of Hyundai AutoEver and Hyundai Motor Company also contributed to the asset growth.
On the other hand, Shin Chang-jae, Chairman of Kyobo Life Insurance, saw the valuation of his holdings drop by 25.2% (about 830.1 billion won), resulting in his personal assets falling from 3.298 trillion won to 2.468 trillion won. Yoo Jung-hyun, Chairwoman of NXC and spouse of the late Kim Jung-ju, founder of Nexon, also experienced a decrease of more than 200 billion won in assets. The decline was significant due to both the partial sale of NXC holdings and a nearly 50% drop in net asset value per share.
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