In the first half of 2026, the consolidated operating profit of companies listed on the KOSPI surged by 254% compared to the same period last year. This significant increase was driven by improved conditions in the semiconductor sector, particularly benefiting the electronics industry, while financial firms, especially securities companies, also showed notable profit growth.
According to the Korea Exchange's report on the '2026 Semiannual Settlement Results for December Settlement Corporations' released on August 19, the consolidated revenue of 634 companies analyzed, excluding newly established firms, those undergoing mergers and acquisitions, companies with adverse audit opinions, and financial firms, reached 2,001.26 trillion won, marking a 28.84% increase from the previous year. Operating profit soared to 388.15 trillion won, a 254.15% rise, while net profit climbed to 386.67 trillion won, up 333.30%. The operating profit margin improved from 7.06% to 19.41%, an increase of 12.35 percentage points, and the net profit margin rose from 5.75% to 19.33%, a 13.58 percentage point improvement.
Notably, the performance improvement was not limited to major semiconductor companies. Excluding Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the consolidated revenue of December settlement corporations reached 1,562.86 trillion won, a 15.01% increase. Operating profit rose by 75.61% to 143.28 trillion won, while net profit increased by 119.68% to 133.56 trillion won, indicating that the positive trend was widespread.
By sector, the electronics industry showed remarkable growth. The consolidated revenue for the electronics sector in the first half was 582.75 trillion won, an 80.47% increase year-on-year, with operating profit and net profit rising by 674.92% and 697.01%, respectively. The exchange reported that out of 20 sectors, 16, including electronics and IT services, saw revenue growth, while 14 sectors, including general services, experienced increases in operating profit. Conversely, six sectors, including entertainment and culture, as well as transportation and warehousing, reported declines in operating profit, highlighting disparities among industries.
The financial sector also demonstrated clear performance improvements. Among 48 financial companies, excluding six that submitted individual financial statements, the remaining 42 reported a 36.07% increase in operating profit and a 32.82% rise in net profit compared to the previous year.
Particularly, the securities industry experienced a substantial profit increase. Securities firms reported an operating profit of 9.21 trillion won in the first half, up 163.37% from 3.50 trillion won in the same period last year. Net profit also rose by 161% to 7.05 trillion won. Insurance companies saw their operating profit and net profit increase by 22.90% and 27.16%, respectively, reflecting strong performance. Meanwhile, financial holding companies reported increases of 20.89% in operating profit and 14.53% in net profit. In contrast, banks experienced declines in both operating profit and net profit, down 5.18% and 4.27%, respectively, indicating varying performance within the financial sector.
Overall, the number of profitable companies also increased. Among the 634 companies analyzed, 519 reported a net profit in the first half, accounting for 81.86% of the total, up from 485 companies (76.50%) in the same period last year, an increase of 34 companies and 5.36 percentage points. Of these, 439 companies maintained profitability, while 80 transitioned from losses to profits. The number of loss-making companies decreased from 149 to 115.
On a quarterly basis, the trend of improved performance continued. In the second quarter, consolidated revenue reached 1,075.28 trillion won, a 16.27% increase from the first quarter. Operating profit rose by 48.56% to 231.99 trillion won, and net profit increased by 73.70% to 245.40 trillion won. The operating profit margin improved from 16.89% to 21.58%, an increase of 4.69 percentage points. The number of companies reporting net profit in the second quarter also rose to 520, up from 501 in the first quarter.
Financial soundness also improved. At the end of the first half, total consolidated assets reached 5,844.90 trillion won, a 15.77% increase from the end of the previous year, while total equity rose by 21.37% to 2,910.61 trillion won. During the same period, total liabilities increased by only 10.71% to 2,934.29 trillion won, resulting in a decrease in the debt ratio from 110.52% to 100.81%, a drop of 9.71 percentage points.
Meanwhile, improvements were also observed in individual financial statements. The revenue of 720 companies analyzed in the first half reached 1,070.53 trillion won, a 34.47% increase from the previous year, while operating profit surged by 348.85% to 275.08 trillion won. Net profit also rose by 330.54% to 291.55 trillion won. The number of companies reporting net profit increased by 11 to 581, representing 80.69% of the total.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.