The person who received the highest salary among the securities firm employees whose annual salary was disclosed last year was not the chief executive officer (CEO) but the senior managing director. However, the rankings may change as MERITZ Securities and Korea Investment & Securities have not yet disclosed their compensation.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system on the 19th, Kang Jeong-gu, the senior managing director at Samsung Securities, received 9.324 billion won last year. The salary was 71 million won, but the bonuses amounted to 9.231 billion won, and other earned income was 21 million won. Senior Kang's annual salary is about six times more than that of Park Jong-moon, the CEO of Samsung Securities (1.591 billion won).
Employees at securities firms with an annual salary of over 500 million won are disclosed in the business report, and Senior Kang has consistently appeared in the business report since 2018. Starting with 1.623 billion won in 2018, he received 2.021 billion won in 2019, 5.539 billion won in 2020, 6.855 billion won in 2021, 3.694 billion won in 2022, and 5.694 billion won in 2023. His total compensation from 2018 to present is 34.75 billion won.
Senior Kang is known as a private banker (PB) with over 20 years of experience.
At Yuanta Securities Korea, Lee Jong-seok, the retail director, secured 8.33 billion won in compensation, of which bonuses accounted for 8.292 billion won. Deputy General Manager Shin Seung-ho received 4.18 billion won, and Retail Director Park Hwan-jin received 2.3 billion won.
At Sangsangin Investment & Securities, an executive received nearly 7 billion won in compensation. Vice President Yoo Ji-hoon received 6.87 billion won, of which 6.798 billion won was performance-based bonuses.
At NH Investment & Securities, former CEO Jeong Young-chae received 5.94 billion won. This figure includes retirement income of 4.898 billion won. The current CEO, Yoon Byeong-woon, receives 1.726 billion won.
At DAISHIN SECURITIES, Chairman Yang Hong-seok received 3.467 billion won, followed by Chairman Lee Eo-ryong with 3.225 billion won, and CEO Oh Ik-geun with 1.237 billion won.
At Hana Securities, Kim Dong-hyun, the executive managing director, received 2.89 billion won. Sales Director Lee Hyun-jip and Sales Director Park Moon-hwan received 1.719 billion won and 1.665 billion won, respectively.
It is interpreted that the compensation system at the securities firms is focused on performance bonuses, leading to a significant number of high annual salary earners. Last year, five firms, including Korea Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities, Mirae Asset Securities, Kiwoom Securities, and MERITZ Securities, surpassed 1 trillion won in operating profit.
As the business reports of Korea Investment & Securities and MERITZ Securities, known for providing substantial bonuses, have not been released, market interest is focused on whether a securities professional earning over 10 billion won will emerge. In particular, Korea Investment & Securities has risen to the top of the industry with operating and net profits both exceeding 1 trillion won.