Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Lee Kun-hee, chief of South Korea’s top conglomerate, Samsung Group, saw his stock value increase 17.9 percent as of end-October from the end of last year, due mainly to gains from the key electronics arm, data showed Sunday.
Lee held stocks worth 16 trillion won (US$13.7 billion) as of Thursday, according to the report compiled by industry tracker Chaebul.com. The business tycoon has been hospitalized since 2014 after suffering a heart attack.
His stock value jumped on the back of steady gains in the group’s mainstay, Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest smartphone maker, whose stock price has soared nearly 32 percent this year.
The second-richest stockholder was Lee’s only son, Jae-yong, who currently serves as vice chairman of Samsung Electronics. Lee Jae-yong’s stock value was 6.8 trillion won as of Thursday.
The father and the son hold 4.18 percent and 0.7 percent stakes in Samsung Electronics, respectively.
Hong Ra-hee, the wife of the bedridden Samsung tycoon, ranked seventh with 2.7 trillion won, up 30.2 percent from the end of 2019. She also holds a 0.91 percent stake in Samsung Electronics.
In contrast, Lee’s two daughters — Boo-jin and Seo-hyun — saw their stock assets fall 3.8 percent each to stand in the 12th spot together.
Other major shareholders included Suh Kyung-bae, chairman of AmorePacific Group, South Korea’s largest cosmetics maker. His stock assets reached 4.9 trillion won, up 9 percent over the period.
Chung Mong-koo, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, ranked fourth with 3.8 trillion won, up 5.7 percent from end-December, and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won followed with 3.3 trillion won, down 0.6 percent.
Kim Beom-su, the founder of Kakao Corp., which operates South Korea’s most widely used mobile messenger app, enjoyed the sharpest growth in his stock value at 37.4 percent to 1.7 trillion won among business officials surveyed, the data also showed.
A total of 21 business tycoons held stock assets above 1 trillion won.
(Yonhap)
