By Alfaritsy 
In the first quarter of this year, Bang Si-hyuk, who heads Hybe—a leading force behind K-pop—saw the biggest increase in his net worth among South Korean corporate giants. Over these months, his assets grew by an impressive 515.5 billion won, outpacing even well-known magnates such as Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong. Recognized last year as one of the country’s key industrial figures, Bang profited immensely due to Hybe’s significant shareholding stake (31.57%). This surge was driven by positive market anticipation regarding BTS’s complete comeback following their mandatory military service expected in June.
The country’s leading business figures from South Korea experienced varied outcomes in the initial quarter of this year due to political unrest and fluctuations in the worldwide markets, which affected investors’ moods. According to a study published by the Korea CXO Institute on April 9th, significant contributors were alterations in industry along with residual impacts stemming from the trade policies implemented under former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the top five after Bang came Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong, Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon, CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun, and Kakao founder Kim Beom-su.
Billionaires associated with fast-growing industries like defense, semiconductors, and entertainment experienced significant increases in their wealth, whereas those involved in biotechnology and automobiles faced declines due to market adjustments.
According to the KFTC, the report examined the stock values of 43 group leaders with personal assets surpassing 100 billion won as of late March. The total worth amounted to 57.74 trillion won, which represents a minor decrease of 0.3% compared to the initial figure of 57.92 trillion won recorded at the beginning of January. Out of these individuals, 27 experienced gains whereas 16 reported declines.
Lee Jae-yong experienced the second-biggest increase, with his assets rising by 321.3 billion won. As of the end of March, his share value stood at 12.23 trillion won, marking a 2.7% growth since January. In March, he temporarily slipped behind Meritz Financial Group Chairman Cho Jung-ho for the title of South Korea’s largest shareholder but reclaimed the spot when semiconductor stocks recovered. At this point, Lee’s net worth was approximately 3% greater than Cho’s, which amounted to around 11.92 trillion won. Nonetheless, Cho did not make it into the rankings because he isn’t formally recognized as a conglomerate leader by the KFTC.
Hanwha’s Kim Seung-yeon saw an increase of 237.6 billion won due to the company becoming a significant player in the defense sector because of escalating worldwide military expenditures after President Trump took office. Nonetheless, his share value is anticipated to drop significantly since he intends to transfer a substantial part of his equity holdings to his three offspring, one of whom is Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan. This transition is set to occur on April 30th.
Lee Jay-hyun of CJ Group saw an increase of 232.1 billion won, largely due to growing anticipation for the unlisted cosmetics retail company Olive Young. Meanwhile, Kim Beom-su of Kakao Corporation accumulated an additional 172.1 billion won; however, he has withdrawn from day-to-day operations following his recent diagnosis of early-stage bladder cancer.