"Samsung Electronics Ranks First"... Average Compensation for Outside Directors at Top 100 Companies Surpasses 90 Million Won

Despite the Downtrend, Samsung Electronics Leads with 178.5 Million Won

Hyundai Motor Company Sees Largest Increase, POSCO Holdings the Sharpest Decline

Last year, the average compensation per outside director at the top 100 companies by market capitalization surpassed 90 million won.

According to a survey released on March 15, 2026 by CEO Score, a corporate data research institute, of 87 comparable companies among the top 100 by market capitalization in 2024-2025, the average compensation per outside director last year was 91.22 million won. This represents an increase of 3.23 million won (3.7%) from 87.99 million won in 2024.

By company, Samsung Electronics paid the highest average compensation per outside director at 178.5 million won. The average compensation for outside directors at Samsung Electronics was 203.17 million won in 2023, 183.33 million won in 2024, and 178.5 million won in 2025, showing a decrease for two consecutive years. However, among the 12 Samsung affiliates, except for Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, and Samsung Biologics, the other nine companies saw an increase in average outside director compensation.

Following Samsung Electronics, SK ranked second with an average outside director compensation of 156.2 million won. This is an increase of 4.2 million won in one year from 152 million won in 2024. SK Square (155.56 million won), SK hynix (155.55 million won), and Hyundai Motor Company (152.14 million won) followed. In particular, Hyundai Motor Company saw the largest increase in average compensation, rising by 32 million won from the previous year. Five affiliates of Hyundai Motor Group—including Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Kia, and Hyundai Glovis—also ranked among the top 10 in terms of increase in average compensation.

CEO Score explained, "The number of companies where the average outside director compensation exceeds 100 million won increased by four from the previous year to 26," adding, "Of the companies surveyed, 53 reported an increase in average outside director compensation."

On the other hand, the company with the largest decrease in average outside director compensation was POSCO Holdings, with a 16.7% drop to 109.33 million won compared to the previous year. SK Biopharmaceuticals (72.25 million won) saw a decrease of 14.49 million won from the previous year, and Samsung C&T (100 million won) also declined by about 14 million won.

The higher the annual salary for outside directors, the more advantageous it is for companies to attract accounting, legal, and industry experts. However, some argue that excessively high compensation may undermine the independence of outside directors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.