"They Earn More Than the Chairman... While I Trade Stocks, These Employees Took Home 3.8 Billion Won in Bonuses Alone"
by Choi Seungwoo
Published 14 Mar.2026 13:15(KST)
Updated 14 Mar.2026 15:32(KST)
Most Major Securities Firms Surpass 100 Million Won in Average Salary
Driven by Overall Performance Improvement Across the Industry
Driven by an unprecedented stock market boom, there have been cases where the average annual salary of securities firms' financial investment division staff surpassed 400 million won.
On March 14, multiple media outlets, citing sources in the financial investment industry, reported that the average annual salary for financial investment division staff at Daol Investment & Securities last year was 435 million won, up by 132 million won (43%) from the previous year.
The highest-paid employee was Shinwook Park, Senior Manager of the bond sales division, who received a total of 3.919 billion won-comprising a salary of 82 million won and a bond sales bonus of 3.835 billion won. In the same division, Senior Manager Donghyuk Choi earned 2.863 billion won, and Manager Yunseok Ko received 2.653 billion won. Large-scale performance bonuses, based on bond sales achievements, drove the increase in compensation.
In contrast, Byeongcheol Lee, Chairman and CEO of Daol Investment & Securities, received 1.809 billion won in total compensation last year, ranking fourth overall, while the average executive annual salary was 333 million won, down from the previous year. This created an unusual situation where the average employee compensation exceeded that of the executives.
The upward trend in compensation also continued at other securities firms. The average annual salary for financial investment division staff at Kiwoom Securities was 273 million won, an increase of 172 million won (58%) from the previous year. The number of personnel in this division also rose by 65%, from 130 to 215.
At Samsung Securities, the average annual salary for financial investment division staff was 214 million won. In the company, Hyeran Roh, Branch Manager, was the top earner, receiving 1.817 billion won-comprising a salary of 123 million won and a bonus of 1.685 billion won. CEO Jongmoon Park received a total of 1.804 billion won, combining a salary of 774 million won and a bonus of 928 million won.
Thanks to overall performance improvements across securities firms, the average annual salary for employees and executives also rose significantly. By firm, Meritz Securities recorded the highest average annual salary for employees and executives at 196 million won. In addition, NH Investment & Securities recorded 180 million won, Mirae Asset Securities 170 million won, and Samsung Securities 169 million won, with most major securities firms far exceeding an average annual salary of 100 million won.
Industry officials attribute the increase in compensation to last year’s market environment, marked by a sharp rise in stock trading volume. In fact, last year, the average daily transaction amount on the KOSPI was 16.9 trillion won, an increase of 57.1% compared to the previous year.
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