Samsung chief sees assets grow $3B in H1 as conglomerate leaders rake it in

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong saw his assets rise by 4.7 trillion won in the first half of 2025 to 16.6 trillion won, leading the list of family conglomerate heads who saw their assets jump drastically from January to June.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong returns to Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center in Gangseo District, western Seoul, on April 9 after a business trip to Japan. [NEWS1]

The combined value of assets held by the owner families of Korea’s major conglomerates rose by nearly 33 trillion won ($23.69 billion) in the first half of this year, according to new data.

Market tracker Leaders Index on Tuesday released an analysis of changes in the asset values of 623 individuals from owner families of the top 50 business groups who hold shares in their affiliated companies.

Their combined assets totaled 144.5 trillion won, up 29.5 percent from 111.5 trillion won at the start of this year.

The tally includes both listed and unlisted companies. Share values for listed firms were calculated based on closing prices on Jan. 2 and Aug. 29, while those of unlisted firms were based on net asset values from financial statements and semiannual reports.

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong topped the list with the largest asset increase. His assets grew by 4.7 trillion won in the first half alone, from 11.9 trillion won to 16.6 trillion won. The main driver was a surge in the value of shares in six listed Samsung affiliates he owns, including Samsung C&T, which jumped over 48 percent during the period.

Assets held by other members of the Samsung family also saw significant gains. Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin rose to 6.7 trillion won from 4.8 trillion won, ranking third in terms of asset increase. Leeum Museum of Art honorary director Hong Ra-hee’s assets grew from 5.4 trillion won to 7.1 trillion won, the fifth largest increase, and Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun saw her holdings grow from 4.2 trillion won to 5.8 trillion won, ranking sixth. Altogether, the Samsung family added about 10.4 trillion won in assets in the first half.

Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon on May 23 [NEWS1]

Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon ranked second with a 2 trillion won increase, bringing his total to nearly 3 trillion won. The growth came after he inherited shares and restructured holdings following the death of honorary Chairman Cho Suck-rai last year.

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung ranked fourth, with a 1.8 trillion won increase attributed to the impact of a bonus issue by Hyundai Glovis.

At No. 7 was Chung Ga-hyun, director at Sinokor Merchant Marine, whose assets rose by 1.5 trillion won to 2.5 trillion won.

Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation and the largest shareholder of HD Hyundai, ranked No. 8 with a 1.1 trillion won increase to 2.9 trillion won.

Rounding out the top 10 were Mirae Asset Group Chairman Park Hyeon-joo, who ranked No. 9, up 1.1 trillion won to 4.8 trillion won, and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan at No. 10, up 985.2 billion won to 1.8 trillion won.

Others in the top 15 included SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, up 974.1 billion won to 2.7 trillion won, Kakao founder Kim Beom-su, up 800 billion won to 5.2 trillion won, CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun, up 760 billion won to 2 trillion won, and Hyundai Motor Group Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo, up 700 billion won to 5.3 trillion won.

SK Chairman Chey Tae-won speaks to reporters during a press conference held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, during the summer Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry forum on July 17. [KCCI]

At the other end of the spectrum, Kyobo Life Insurance Chairman Shin Chang-jae saw the largest decrease in asset value. The value of his holdings fell by 25.2 percent, or 830 billion won, from 3.3 trillion won to 2.5 trillion won.

Yoo Jung-hyun, chairperson of NXC and the widow of late Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju, also saw her assets fall by more than 200 billion won to 235.1 billion won. The drop was due to a partial sale of NXC holdings and a nearly 50 percent decline in per-share net asset value.

“The rise in the value of shares held by the Samsung family accounted for about one-third of the overall increase, underscoring its significant influence,” the Leaders Index report said. “Share inheritance and the rising value of unlisted firms also contributed to the expansion of assets among conglomerate heirs.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY CHO MUN-GYU [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]