This file photo shows the buildings of South Korea’s major companies in Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s top 30 family-controlled conglomerates have seen their stock market capitalization spike more than 30 percent over the past four years, with Samsung Group taking the top spot, a market tracker said Tuesday.
The combined value of 201 listed firms belonging to the leading business groups, known as chaebol here, came to some 1,504 trillion won (US$1.26 trillion) as of Friday, up 33.2 percent from Jan. 2, 2018, according to the Leaders Index.
The number of their listed units was up 16 over the cited period.
Including battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. and two other firms set to go public this year, their total market value is estimated to reach 1,624 trillion won, up 43.8 percent from four years earlier.
The market capitalization of LG Energy Solution, a unit of LG Group, is forecast to reach roughly 100 trillion won when it gets listed on the local stock market Thursday.
Hyundai Engineering Co., a plant engineering affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, is projected to have a market cap of some 10 trillion won after its market debut next month.
Hyundai Oilbank Co., a unit of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, is poised to conduct an initial public offering within the first half with its market value likely to reach around 10 trillion won.
Samsung Group, whose flagship is global tech giant Samsung Electronics Co., retained the top spot, with the market cap of its 16 listed units soaring 35.5 percent to 646.7 trillion won over the cited period.
SK Group came next with 186.6 trillion won, followed by LG Group with 125.6 trillion won. LG is expected to overtake SK as the No. 2 conglomerate by market cap when LG Energy Solution debuts on the local bourse.
Hyundai Motor Group, which has top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and No. 2 industry player Kia Corp. under its wing, came next with its market capitalization soaring to 123.7 trillion won from 93.5 trillion won.
By company, Samsung Electronics was the dominant leader with a market cap of some 451 trillion won, trailed by SK hynix Inc. with 86.6 trillion won, according to the Leaders Index.
(Yonhap)
