Seoul: The number of shareholder entities of South Korea-listed stocks last year reached nearly 15 million, according to market data Wednesday. The number of shareholders of 2,727 companies listed in the local stock market came to 14.6 million as of end-December, up 2.3 percent from 2024, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository (KSD).
According to Yonhap News Agency, of these shareholders, a significant 99.1 percent were individual investors, while foreigners accounted for just 0.2 percent. This trend highlights the dominance of local individual investors in the South Korean stock market.
Market leader Samsung Electronics Co. had the highest number of shareholders at 4.6 million. However, this was a decrease from the previous year, where the company had 5.7 million shareholders, marking a decline of more than 1 million.
In contrast, Samsung's competitor SK hynix Inc. saw a notable increase in its shareholder base, which jumped by more than 50 percent to 1.19 million from 2024. The rise in SK hynix's shareholder numbers coincided with a remarkable surge in its stock price, which jumped nearly four times from 173,900 won (US$117.1) on December 30, 2024, to 651,000 won by the end of last year.
Shares of Samsung Electronics also saw growth, more than doubling in value. However, this increase was less pronounced compared to the substantial rise experienced by SK hynix during the same period.