The stock value held by owner families of South Korea’s major conglomerates amounts to approximately 10% of total group fair assets, according to a new survey. Samsung in particular saw its owner-family stock value surpass ₩100 trillion, recording the highest ratio among the top 10 groups.

According to survey results released on the 9th by CEO Score, a corporate data research institute, the total fair assets of 89 business groups designated as subject to disclosure with a named controlling shareholder in 2026 stood at ₩3,239.7388 trillion (approximately $2.4 trillion). Of this, the stock value held by owner families in affiliated companies totaled ₩331.5644 trillion, representing 10.2% of fair assets.

Fair assets are calculated as the sum of total assets of general affiliates and total capital of financial and insurance affiliates within a business group. The survey defined owner families based on the controlling shareholder and their relatives, including other kin.

Samsung had the largest fair assets among the top 10 groups at ₩695.9017 trillion (approximately $519.7 billion). The stock value held by the owner family, including Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, stood at ₩101.5881 trillion (approximately $75.9 billion), the only South Korean business group to exceed ₩100 trillion. The ratio relative to fair assets was 14.6%, the highest among the top 10 groups.

In terms of individual stock value, Chairman Lee Jae-yong recorded the highest among all conglomerate heads at ₩47.0596 trillion (approximately $35.1 billion). Hong Ra-hee, former director of the Leeum Museum of Art, followed with ₩18.9752 trillion (approximately $14.2 billion), Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin with ₩18.356 trillion (approximately $13.7 billion), and Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun with ₩16.9714 trillion (approximately $12.7 billion). The four Samsung owner-family members occupied the top four positions in individual stock value.

GS recorded the second-highest owner-family stock value ratio relative to fair assets at 10.2%, following Samsung. HD Hyundai came next at 6.3%, followed by Hyundai Motor at 5.7%, Hanwha at 4.6%, LG at 3.8%, SK at 2.5%, Shinsegae at 2.4%, Hanjin at 2.0%, and Lotte at 0.8%.

The owner-family stock value ratios relative to fair assets for the top 10 groups are as follows.

GroupFair Assets (₩ trillion)Owner-Family Stock Value (₩ trillion)RatioSamsung695.9101.614.6%GS——10.2%HD Hyundai——6.3%Hyundai Motor——5.7%Hanwha——4.6%LG——3.8%SK——2.5%Shinsegae——2.4%Hanjin——2.0%Lotte——0.8%

Note: Absolute fair asset and stock value figures for groups other than Samsung were not disclosed.

Among all 89 business groups, QCP Group had the lowest owner-family stock value ratio. With fair assets of ₩5.141 trillion (approximately $3.8 billion), the owner family’s stock value was just ₩15.2 billion (approximately $11.4 million), a ratio of only 0.3%. Taeyoung (0.4%), Lotte (0.8%), HL (1.5%), Woongjin (1.7%), Kolon (1.8%), Eugene (1.9%), and Bithumb, Hanjin, and LX (each 2.0%) also remained in the lower tier.

Conversely, three business groups had owner-family stock value ratios exceeding half. Iljin Global recorded the highest at 67.7%, with owner-family stock value of ₩3.4232 trillion (approximately $2.6 billion) against fair assets of ₩5.0601 trillion (approximately $3.8 billion). MDM (56.1%) and Sonoh International (53.5%) followed.

For this survey, listed company stock values were calculated by multiplying the closing price at the end of August by the number of shares held by owner families. For unlisted companies, the calculation multiplied the fair assets at the end of the most recent fiscal year by the owner family’s equity stake. Fair assets were compiled based on the most recent fiscal year-end figures for South Korean affiliates at the time of the 2026 business group designation.

The survey demonstrates that the ownership structure of South Korea’s major conglomerates remains centered on owner families. However, it also confirms significant variation across groups. While some groups like Samsung have a high proportion of owner-family equity value relative to group assets, others such as Lotte and QCP Group remain below 1%, showing clear differences depending on each group’s governance structure and capital-raising approach.