Operating Profit of Top 1,000 Companies Sets New Record at 189 Trillion Won Last Year... SK hynix Takes Top Spot in Net Profit

Korea CXO Institute Survey Results

Record Number of “1 Trillion Club” Companies in Operating Profit, Reaching 34

Last year, the operating profit of the top 1,000 listed companies in South Korea, based on their separate financial statements, reached nearly 190 trillion won, marking the highest figure since 2000. Among them, SK hynix stood out by ranking first in both consolidated and separate operating profit categories last year. In contrast, Samsung Electronics lost its title as the top company in net profit—an honor it had held since 1999—for the first time in 27 years.

SK hynix Headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

The Korea CXO Institute, a corporate analysis specialist, announced on April 15 the results of its analysis entitled “Analysis of Changes in Operating Profit and Loss of the Top 1,000 Listed Companies in Korea from 2000 to 2025.” The survey targeted the top 1,000 listed companies by annual revenue for each year, and all revenue, operating profit and loss, and net profit figures were compiled based on separate financial statements. The purpose was to more clearly identify the trends in business performance of domestic corporations, excluding overseas subsidiaries.

According to the results, the combined operating profit of the top 1,000 companies in South Korea last year was tallied at 189.2322 trillion won—the largest since 2000. This figure represents an increase of 27.7% (over 40 trillion won) compared to 2024 (about 148.28 trillion won). It is highly likely that this year's figure will surpass the 200 trillion won threshold.

SK hynix secured the top spot in separate operating profit for two consecutive years, recording 21.3314 trillion won in 2024 and 44.0074 trillion won in 2025. In terms of consolidated operating profit last year, SK hynix (47.2063 trillion won) also surpassed Samsung Electronics (43.6010 trillion won).

In particular, SK hynix posted a separate net profit of 42.6888 trillion won last year, overtaking Samsung Electronics (33.6866 trillion won) and ending the latter’s 26-year reign as the leader in separate net profit from 1999 to 2024—a change that came after 27 years.

Last year, there were 34 companies in the so-called “1 Trillion Won Club,” which refers to companies that achieved over 1 trillion won in separate operating profit. The new entrants to the club included: SK Innovation (2.73 trillion won), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (2.0427 trillion won), Korea Investment Holdings (1.6477 trillion won), KT (1.3049 trillion won), NH Investment & Securities (1.2742 trillion won), Korea Zinc (1.1795 trillion won), Hanwha Ocean (1.154 trillion won), Mirae Asset Securities (1.1312 trillion won), and KT&G (1.0007 trillion won).

On the other hand, four companies dropped out of the 1 Trillion Won Club last year: POSCO Holdings (from 1.5964 trillion won in 2024 to 976.8 billion won in 2025), SK Telecom (from 1.5231 trillion won to 811.8 billion won), Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance (from 1.4018 trillion won to 726.8 billion won), and Celltrion (from 1.211 trillion won to 918.9 billion won).

Oh Il-seon, head of the Korea CXO Institute, stated, “This year, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix expected to deliver record-breaking operating profits, the total separate operating profit of the top 1,000 listed companies is also projected to exceed 200 trillion won. However, the combined share of operating profit held by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rose from 22.7% in 2024 to 35.7% last year, and is expected to climb into the 40% range this year. This indicates that Korea's economy will become even more heavily reliant on semiconductors than before.”

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