IT, shipping, and construction companies rise in business rankings
Total assets: Kakao 12 trillion, Naver 5 trillion↑
Hoban Construction, which has grown in size, ranked 37th → 33rd
‘Daewoo E&C takeover’ Jungheung-do’s ranking soars
HMM jumps 23 steps in earnings recovery
Nexon Kim Jung-ju’s wife Yoo Jung-hyeon as ‘the head’
Large companies in information technology (IT), shipping and construction have grown significantly this year and achieved a rise in the business rankings.
When looking at the corporate groups subject to disclosure (large corporations) and corporate groups with restrictions on mutual investment announced by the Fair Trade Commission on the 27th, most of the major IT groups ranked in terms of total assets and total assets compared to last year. Kakao’s total assets increased from 19.95 trillion won last year to 32.216 trillion won this year, rising from 18th to 15th. Assets increased as funds from public offerings flowed through the IPOs of Kakao Bank and Kakao Pay. Naver’s total assets also increased from 13.584 trillion won last year to 19.22 trillion won this year, rising from 27th to 22nd.
Construction companies have increased their assets through mergers and acquisitions. Hoban Construction, which acquired a stake in Taihan Electric Wire, recorded 13.78 trillion won in total assets this year, up 30% from last year. The business ranking also rose from 37th to 33rd. The total assets of Jungheung E&C more than doubled from 9.207 trillion won last year to 20.29 trillion won this year thanks to the acquisition of Daewoo E&C, and the ranking soared from 47th to 20th.
The major shipping groups also grew rapidly thanks to earnings improvement amid a recovery in shipping demand. HMM’s total assets more than doubled from 8.789 trillion won last year to 17.767 trillion won this year, jumping from 48th to 25th. SM increased from 10.45 trillion won to 13,663 billion won, from 38th to 34th, and Janggeum Merchant Marine increased from 6.26 trillion won to 9,3334 billion won, rising from 58th to 50th.
The management performance of large conglomerates was found to have improved compared to the previous year. The sales of all conglomerates, excluding the financial and insurance business, were 1633.7 trillion won, up 21.5% from the previous year, returning to an upward trend for the first time since 2019. Net income also jumped 189.2% from last year to 125.8 trillion won, reversing the downward trend that has been going on since 2018.
However, the concentration of economic power in the top five conglomerates (Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG, and Lotte) is still there. Of the total assets of 76 large conglomerates this year, the top five companies accounted for 50.5% of total assets, 54.8% of sales, and 57.0% of net income.
Meanwhile, NXC director Kim Jeong-ju, who was the same person (head of the company) passed away last month, and his wife, NXC auditor Yoo Jeong-hyun, was designated as Nexon’s new same person. Auditor Yoo was involved in the founding and management of Nexon, and the FTC explained that he was the only investor among the registered executives of NXC, the top-tier company, and considered that he was the largest individual investor (29.43% owned, 30.79% including children’s shares), the FTC explained. .
Reporter Sejong Park Ki-seok
