Top 10 conglomerates add W1,500tr as SK, Samsung ride chip boom
Chip-to-energy conglomerate SK Group has seen the largest gain in market value among South Korea’s top business groups in the last year, propelled by an artificial intelligence-driven chip rally.
The combined market capitalization of the country’s top 10 conglomerates reached 3,832.65 trillion won ($2.6 trillion) as of Friday, up 65 percent from 2,315.19 trillion won at the end of last year.
SK Group led the gains. The combined market cap of its listed affiliates climbed to 1,139.76 trillion won, marking an 89.6 percent increase from 601.12 trillion won at the end of last year.
SK hynix was the primary driver of the increase. The chipmaker’s market value surged 93 percent, rising from 473.93 trillion won to 916.54 trillion won.
Within the group, SK Square, the gorup’s intermediary holding company, recorded a 128 percent jump in market capitalization to 110.98 trillion won, buoyed by expectations of valuation gains tied to its stake in SK hynix. Shares of SK Eternix, SK Telecom and SK Innovation also posted strong gains, further lifting the group’s overall valuation.
Samsung Group ranked second in terms of market value growth among the top conglomerates. Its combined market capitalization rose 68 percent, from 1,002.5 trillion won to 1,684.1 trillion won.
As with SK Group, the increase was largely driven by a single chipmaking affiliate. Samsung Electronics saw its market value rise 82 percent, from 709.76 trillion won to 1,289.1 trillion won, significantly boosting the group’s overall capitalization.
Energy-to-defense conglomerate Hanwha Group posted the third-largest increase, with its combined market cap rising 50 percent to 173.72 trillion won from 115.67 trillion won at the end of last year. The gains were driven by a rally in defense-related affiliates such as Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems following the outbreak of the Iran war.
Posco Group followed with a 46.5 percent increase in market value, followed by Hyundai Motor Group at 46 percent, HD Hyundai Group at 44.6 percent, Shinsegae Group at 42.9 percent, Lotte Group at 42.3 percent, GS Group at 39.3 percent and LG Group at 26.9 percent.
The market rally also lifted the number of listed companies with a market capitalization exceeding 1 trillion won, including preferred shares, to 405 — the first time the figure has surpassed the 400 mark.
By market, 267 of those companies were listed on the benchmark Kospi, 137 on the secondary Kosdaq and one on the entry-level Konex. A total of 79 listed firms had a market capitalization of more than 10 trillion won.
silverstar@heraldcorp.com
