South Korean Chaebol Leaders' H1 2026 Salaries Disclosed; Samsung's Lee Jae-yong Remains on Zero Pay
Mandatory filings reveal the first-half 2026 compensation for leaders of South Korea's major business groups. Samsung's Lee Jae-yong continues to forgo salary, while Doosan's Park Jeong-won earned over 45 billion won.
Filings from South Korea's major business conglomerates have disclosed the compensation for their top leaders in the first half of 2026. Lee Jae-yong, Executive Chairman of Samsung Electronics, continued to receive no salary from the company, a practice maintained since 2017.
Among the disclosed figures, Park Jeong-won, Chairman of Doosan Group, reported the highest earnings with 45.58 billion won (approximately $32.5 million USD) for the period. Other notable executives include SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won, who received 1.75 billion won from SK Inc., and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, with 4.83 billion won.
Additional disclosures show Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon earning a combined 11.58 billion won from its affiliates, and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin receiving 11.2 billion won. Euisun Chung, Executive Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, received compensation from multiple entities, including Hyundai Motor and Kia.
Doosan Group, founded in 1896, is one of South Korea's oldest and largest conglomerates, with operations spanning heavy industry, energy, and engineering machinery.