Over the past year, the market capitalization of Korea's stock market increased by nearly 1,700 trillion won. In particular, amid the semiconductor supercycle, just two stocks—Samsung Electronics and SK hynix—saw their market cap rise by more than 800 trillion won.
On Jan. 14, the Korea CXO Institute, a corporations analysis specialist, said its review of changes in market capitalization in Korea's stock market showed total market cap rose from about 2,254 trillion won in early Jan. 2025 to about 3,972 trillion won in early Jan. this year, up 1,718 trillion won (76.2%) in one year.
Among individual stocks, Samsung Electronics logged the biggest market cap gain. It jumped from about 318 trillion won at the start of last year to about 760 trillion won at the start of this year, an increase of more than 440 trillion won. Over the same period, SK hynix rose from 124 trillion won to 492 trillion won, with its market cap swelling by more than 360 trillion won in one year.
In addition, ▲ SK Square (4.11868 trillion won) ▲ Doosan Enerbility (3.06016 trillion won) ▲ Hanwha Aerospace (3.22102 trillion won) ▲ HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (2.7245 trillion won) ▲ Hanwha Ocean (2.35631 trillion won) ▲ Samsung C&T (2.10513 trillion won) also saw their market cap increase by more than 2 trillion won over the past year.
There were changes within the top 100 by market cap as well. ABL Bio advanced from 186th (1.4363 trillion won) at the start of last year to 59th (10.7769 trillion won) at the start of this year, climbing 127 spots to enter the top 100.
During the same period, ▲ ISU Petasys (161st → 71st) ▲ APR Co. (150th → 72nd) ▲ Kolon TissueGene (151st → 93rd) ▲ Hyosung Heavy Industries (91st → 38th) also joined the top 100 as of early this year. Samsung Bioepis Holdings, newly listed in Nov. last year, recorded a market cap in the mid-17 trillion won range at the start of this year, placing 39th.
Among the top 20 by market cap, only five held their positions: ▲ Samsung Electronics (No. 1) ▲ SK hynix (No. 2) ▲ LG Energy Solution (No. 3) ▲ Samsung Biologics (No. 4) ▲ Hyundai Motor (No. 5). All others saw their rankings change.
New entrants to the top 20 were six corporations: ▲ SK Square (41st → 7th) ▲ Hanwha Aerospace (22nd → 8th) ▲ Doosan Enerbility (35th → 9th) ▲ Hanwha Ocean (34th → 16th) ▲ Korea Electric Power Corporation (32nd → 19th) ▲ HD Hyundai Electric (29th → 20th).
The number of stocks in the "1 trillion won market cap club" rose from 230 to 318. Including preferred shares, the total came to 325. Among the 318 stocks that entered the 1 trillion won club as of early this year, the one with the highest market cap growth rate versus early last year was "WONIK HOLDINGS," at 1,595.7%.
O Il-seon, head of the Korea CXO Institute, said, "Although operating profits in many industries were weak or saw only slight increases, except for some sectors including semiconductors such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, Korea's stock market rose sharply overall," and added, "Over the past year, expectations for various institutional improvements to boost corporate value and inflows of foreign funds supported the index, and expectations and flows, rather than earnings, led the market."