Mirae Asset Securities shares have surged, drawing attention to Chair Park Hyun-joo's foresight. Starting out as a salaried worker at a securities firm and building one of Korea's leading financial groups, founder Chair Park has repeatedly emphasized to employees that members of the organization should take part in the company's growth to accumulate asset and strengthen competitiveness.
Mirae Asset Securities shares climbed steeply as expectations grew for an IPO of Elon Musk's "SpaceX," in which the company invested, and as prospects for improved core-business performance on the back of a bullish market were added. In particular, not only common shares but also the preferred shares previously allocated to employees jumped sharply, fueling speculation that Chair Park's vision—that the company's growth should translate into employees' asset accumulation—may be becoming a reality.
However, as reports suggested that there were not a few cases of midterm selling due to prolonged share-price weakness and financing cost burdens, some analysts said not many employees seem to have fully benefited from the latest surge.
According to the Korea Exchange (KRX) on the 4th, Mirae Asset Securities rose 208.35% this year (Jan. 2–Feb. 27) alone. During the same period, Mirae Asset Securities 2 Preferred B also gained 104.9%.
Unlike common shares, Mirae Asset Securities 2 Preferred B, in principle, has no voting rights but is a preferred share with priority in dividends. The priority dividend is set at 2.4% of the issue price, and if the preferred dividend is less than the common dividend, it is matched and paid at the same amount as the common share.
In particular, Mirae Asset Securities employees hold a large amount of Mirae Asset Securities 2 Preferred B. This is because, in the 2018 rights offering of 700 billion won (140 million shares) conducted by Mirae Asset Securities, 20% was preferentially allocated to the employee stock ownership association.
The shares at the time were issued as Mirae Asset Securities 2 Preferred B at an issue price of 5,000 won. If an employee who subscribed then had held the shares until now, the return would have been about 361%.
However, employees' actual choices diverged. Some held for a long time and benefited from the recent surge, but only a very small number are known to have kept the shares until now.
As the share price stayed below or moved sideways around the offer price for an extended period, there were many cases of selling midterm. A company official said, "Because the share price moved below 5,000 won for a long time, most people sold when it recovered the offer price," adding, "That said, there are also cases where those who held until recently reaped considerable returns."
At the time of the rights offering, Mirae Asset Securities 2 Preferred B was in the 4,800-won range and then fluctuated between 2,200 won and 5,000 won through 2025. It was only in May 2025 that it first exceeded 5,000 won. The share price rose 431.59% over the past year alone.
In particular, among employees who received allocations through the employee stock ownership association and used the "employee stock acquisition loan program" to raise subscription funds, prolonged trading below or sideways around the offer price (5,000 won) led to ongoing financing expense burdens, and some are said to have sold when the offer price was recovered.
As a result, there is growing regret internally about not living up to Chair Park's management philosophy.
Chair Park has said through New Year's addresses and messages to employees that "the company's growth is thanks to the efforts of all employees," and that "talent is Mirae Asset's competitiveness." In addition, at a government event on the venture ecosystem in September, Park noted, "When you want to attract good talent, you can consider methods like a 'golden share.'"
Recently, the company has also been strengthening its talent compensation system. In January, Mirae Asset Securities held a board meeting and approved granting a total of 1.1 million stock options to 16 specialists in key digital fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and Web3. The exercise price is 29,450 won. A securities industry official said, "As digital transformation competition intensifies, there is a trend of expanding performance rewards not only for top management but also for working-level staff."
Meanwhile, as Mirae Asset Securities shares have continued to surge recently, securities firm clients are said to be accumulating Mirae Asset Securities stock. A Mirae Asset Securities official said, "As Mirae Asset Securities shares have risen, Mirae Asset Securities now ranks among the top holdings of retail employees and clients, alongside Samsung Electronics and SK hynix," adding, "With the company's value rising, employees' and clients' asset are increasing."