As Samsung Electronics shares continued an unbridled rally, the stock valuation of Chair Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics hit a record high. The valuation rose by 1.45 trillion won in a single day. The industry is watching to see whether the country's first stock tycoon worth 30 trillion won will emerge.
On Jan. 5, according to the Korea Exchange (KRX), Samsung Electronics closed at 138,100 won, up 9,600 won (7.47%) from the previous trading day. During the session, it briefly surged to 138,700 won, flirting with the 140,000-won level.
On this day, the surge in Samsung Electronics shares pushed Lee's stock wealth to a record high. According to the Korea CXO Institute, Lee's stock valuation rose about 1.4553 trillion won (5.6%) in a day to 27.3319 trillion won. Lee's stock wealth, which was in the 25 trillion won range on the 2nd, skipped the 26 trillion won range and immediately climbed into the 27 trillion won range, renewing the record for the largest individual stock valuation.
Lee's stock wealth has posted a steep rise over the past year. The stock value, which stood at 1.19099 trillion won early last year, more than doubled in a year, aided by gains in major affiliates such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, and Samsung Life Insurance.
In particular, the core Samsung Electronics stake rose from 520.19 billion won a year ago to 1.34529 trillion won on the day, an increase of more than 800 billion won. In addition, about 1.8 million shares of Samsung C&T donated last year by Honorary Director Hong Ra-hee added momentum to the asset growth.
The market is focused on whether Lee's stock wealth will surpass 30 trillion won. Oil-seon, head of the Korea CXO Institute, said, "Attention is gathering on the possibility that Lee's stock value will exceed 30 trillion won," and noted, "If Samsung Electronics rises to the 170,000–180,000-won range, Korea could see its first-ever stock tycoon worth 30 trillion won."