Largest Companies in South Korea by Revenue (2026)

Samsung Electronics is the largest company in South Korea by a wide margin. Forbes records sales of US$272.6bn, profit of US$58.5bn and a market value of US$1.17 trillion, more than the combined market value of the next nine companies in this list. Its businesses are organised into Device Experience (televisions, appliances, smartphones and computers), Device Solutions (memory and other semiconductors), Samsung Display and Harman. Fortune, which ranks it 26th in the Global 500, records 259,149 employees; the company was incorporated in 1969 and listed in 1975.

Hyundai Motor, founded in 1967, makes passenger cars, SUVs, commercial vehicles and electric and hybrid models, and also has finance and rail segments. Forbes records sales of US$131.8bn and profit of US$6.1bn. Its plant in Ulsan is described by Fortune as the world's largest car factory, with capacity of 1.5 million vehicles a year; Fortune ranks the company 72nd in the Global 500.

SK Hynix is a memory-chip maker producing DRAM, flash memory and image sensors, headquartered in Icheon. Forbes records sales of US$92.7bn and profit of US$52.7bn, the second-highest profit of any Korean company, and a market value of US$858.0bn. Fortune's Global 500 revenue figure is lower, at US$68.3bn, but shows growth of 40.8%, the fastest among the 13 Korean companies in the Global 500.

SK Inc. is the holding company of the SK group, with subsidiaries including SK Innovation and SK Telecom and investments in advanced materials, biopharmaceuticals, energy and digital businesses. Forbes records sales of US$90.0bn and profit of US$2.2bn. Because SK consolidates listed subsidiaries that Forbes also ranks separately, part of its revenue is counted again under SK Innovation below.

Kia, part of the same automotive group as Hyundai Motor, makes passenger, recreational and commercial vehicles and also provides rental, maintenance and parts. Forbes records sales of US$81.2bn and profit of US$4.9bn. It ranks 166th in the Fortune Global 500, with 35,747 employees.

KEPCO is the national electricity company, selling power nationwide and owning nuclear and thermal generation subsidiaries including Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power. It is headquartered in Naju and, according to Fortune, is government-owned at 50% or more. Forbes records sales of US$68.5bn and profit of US$6.1bn.

LG Electronics, founded in 1958, makes home appliances, televisions and monitors, vehicle components and air-conditioning systems, and consolidates the camera-module maker LG Innotek. Forbes records sales of US$63.3bn and profit of US$685.9m. Fortune counts 74,000 employees.

SK Innovation is the SK group's energy company, producing petroleum, petrochemical, green-energy and battery-technology products through its subsidiaries. Forbes records sales of US$58.5bn and a loss of US$1.5bn, one of two loss-making companies in the Korean top 25.

Hanwha Corp., founded in 1952, operates explosives and trading divisions. Forbes records sales of US$55.9bn, profit of US$302.9m and total assets of US$192.5bn. Fortune, which classifies it under diversified financials, reports revenue growth of 28.9% and 88,540 employees.

HD Hyundai is a holding company, established in 2017, whose businesses span shipbuilding and marine engineering, oil refining, ship services, electrical equipment and construction machinery. Forbes records sales of US$52.7bn and profit of US$1.1bn. It is headquartered in Seongnam and ranks 314th in the Fortune Global 500.

POSCO Holdings is a steel group supplying the automotive, shipbuilding and appliance industries, and also has infrastructure and battery-materials businesses covering lithium, nickel and electrode materials. Forbes records sales of US$48.8bn and profit of US$577.3m. Fortune reports a 9.9% fall in revenue in its Global 500 figures.

Hyundai Mobis, founded in 1977, makes automotive modules and components and supplies after-sales parts. Forbes records sales of US$43.5bn and profit of US$2.5bn. It employs 51,899 people according to Fortune.

KB Financial Group is the largest Korean financial group by sales in the Forbes list, with banking, securities, insurance, credit-card and savings-bank subsidiaries. Forbes records sales of US$36.1bn, profit of US$4.1bn and total assets of US$541.7bn, the largest balance sheet in the Korean top 25. It ranks 388th in the Fortune Global 500.

LG Chem makes petrochemicals, advanced materials and life-science products and consolidates LG Energy Solution, a maker of batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. Forbes records sales of US$32.3bn and a loss of US$1.4bn. It is the 13th and last Korean company in the 2026 Fortune Global 500, at 499th.

CJ Corp. is a holding company whose subsidiaries operate in food and food services, biotechnology (amino acids and feed), logistics and entertainment and media. Forbes records sales of US$32.2bn and profit of US$106.0m.

Samsung C&T, founded in 1948, operates construction, trading, fashion, resort, catering and biopharmaceutical businesses. Forbes records sales of US$29.1bn, profit of US$1.8bn and a market value of US$41.1bn.

Shinhan Financial Group, founded in 2001, is a financial holding company. Forbes records sales of US$28.1bn, profit of US$3.4bn and assets of US$533.2bn, the second-largest balance sheet among Korean companies after KB.

KOGAS, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Daegu, distributes natural gas in Korea. Forbes records sales of US$24.4bn and profit of US$217.2m, with a market value of US$2.2bn, the lowest in the Korean top 25.

LS Corp. is a holding company whose businesses include power and optical cables, electrical equipment, machinery and non-ferrous metals. Forbes records sales of US$24.2bn and profit of US$238.4m.

S-Oil, founded in 1976, operates oil refining, lubricants and petrochemical businesses. Forbes records sales of US$24.0bn and profit of US$661.5m.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering builds crude carriers, container ships, LNG carriers and warships, as well as offshore structures and marine engines. Forbes records sales of US$23.7bn and profit of US$1.8bn.

Hana Financial Group is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries include Hana Bank, Hana Securities, Hana Card, Hana Capital and Hana Life. Forbes records sales of US$21.6bn, profit of US$2.7bn and assets of US$447.5bn.

Hyundai Glovis, founded in 2001, provides logistics, vehicle shipping, knock-down kit distribution and used-car auction services. Forbes records sales of US$21.2bn and profit of US$1.2bn.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction builds ports, tunnels, bridges and roads, housing and data centres, and petrochemical, gas and nuclear power plants. Forbes records sales of US$21.0bn and profit of US$299.1m.

Woori Financial Group, founded in 2001, provides banking and other financial services. Forbes records sales of US$20.4bn, profit of US$2.1bn and assets of US$400.0bn.