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Listed firms' dividend payouts surged nearly 10% last year, data shows

Published: 05 Jun. 2025, 11:27 Updated: 05 Jun. 2025, 17:57

The Kospi index is displayed on a digital board at the main branch dealing room of Hana Bank in Jung District, central Seoul on June 5. [YONHAP]

Dividend payouts by listed firms in Korea rose by nearly 10 percent last year, as some delivered more dividends as part of their efforts to boost returns to shareholders, data showed Thursday.

According to the data compiled by the Korea Depositary, some 1,200 companies that close their books in December paid a combined 32.29 trillion won ($23.68 billion) in dividends to shareholders last year, up 9.6 percent from a year earlier.

The amount breaks down to 30 trillion won by Kospi-listed firms and 2.29 trillion won by those listed on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market.

Foreign investors received 9.79 trillion won in dividends last year, up 30.3 percent from the previous year, and payouts to retail investors rose 28 percent to 9.08 trillion won over the cited period.

Among the companies, Kia, the country's second-largest automaker, paid the highest amount of dividends at 2.56 trillion won last year.

Yonhap