SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / MENA Newswire / — Operating profits at major South Korean companies exceeded 156 trillion won in the first quarter of 2026, as semiconductor earnings lifted aggregate results among the country’s largest corporations. Corporate data researcher CEO Score said 328 companies among South Korea’s top 500 by revenue that had submitted quarterly reports recorded combined operating profit of 156.0351 trillion won for the January to March period, up 158.6 percent from a year earlier.
Combined revenue for the surveyed companies rose 29.4 percent to 1,036.397 trillion won, crossing 1,000 trillion won for the first time in a quarterly tally of the group. The figures showed a broad expansion in sales and profit among large Korean companies, with gains concentrated most heavily in information technology, electrical and electronics businesses, where semiconductor manufacturers accounted for the largest portion of the increase.
Samsung Electronics ranked first by operating profit, posting 57.2328 trillion won in the first quarter, up 756.1 percent from the same period a year earlier. The company separately reported consolidated quarterly revenue of 133.9 trillion won and operating profit of 57.2 trillion won, both all time quarterly highs. Its Device Solutions division recorded 81.7 trillion won in revenue and 53.7 trillion won in operating profit.
Semiconductors dominate earnings
SK hynix ranked second with operating profit of 37.6103 trillion won, up 405.5 percent from a year earlier, on revenue of 52.5763 trillion won. The company reported a 72 percent operating margin and net profit of 40.3459 trillion won for the quarter. Revenue surpassed 50 trillion won for the first time on a quarterly basis, while operating profit and operating margin reached record levels for the company.
Together, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix generated 94.8431 trillion won in operating profit, equal to 60.8 percent of the total among the surveyed large corporations. The IT, electrical and electronics sector recorded operating profit of 98.1237 trillion won, up 493.1 percent from a year earlier. The two chipmakers accounted for nearly all of that sector total and formed the main driver behind the aggregate profit increase.
Battery sector reports losses
Other companies in the top profit rankings included Korea Electric Power Corporation with 3.7842 trillion won, Hyundai Motor with 2.5147 trillion won, Kia with 2.2051 trillion won, LG Electronics with 1.6737 trillion won and GS Caltex with 1.6367 trillion won. In the financial sector, Mirae Asset Capital posted 1.4474 trillion won in operating profit, while Mirae Asset Securities recorded 1.3750 trillion won, placing both firms among the 10 largest contributors.
The data also showed weaker results in batteries and several other sectors. LG Energy Solution posted an operating loss of 207.8 billion won, the largest deficit among surveyed companies. Samsung SDI recorded an operating loss of 155.6 billion won, while LG Chem reported a loss of 49.7 billion won. HYBE, E1 and Asiana Airlines also appeared among companies reporting operating losses for the quarter.