Top 5 companies account for almost 44% of Korea’s exports in Q1: Data

The five top companies aren’t the only ones pocketing all the profits.

Although the top five Korean companies account for nearly 44% of the country’s exports, this does not mean only those five corporations benefit from Korea’s trade success. Large exporters such as Samsung, SK hynix, Hyundai, and Kia operate within Korea’s vast industrial ecosystems that support thousands of smaller suppliers, subcontractors, logistics firms, equipment makers, and service providers that depend on them for business and employment. The profits and export revenues generated by these major firms ripple through the broader economy via wages, taxes, local spending, research, and supplier contracts. At the same time, I do recognize that the concentration of exports among a few companies creates vulnerability. For example, a downturn in semiconductors or autos can disproportionately affect Korea’s economy because so many suppliers and partners also depend on those top companies.

I mean, if they’re going for the percentage of total export dollars, they might as well just mention SK Hynix and Samsung cause memory is leading this unprecedented boom.
While shipbuilding and cosmetics are also booming, the figures are peanuts to semiconductors.

Next year, the two operating profits combined are expected to surpass Korea’s fiscal budget for 2027.

If you transplanted the two memory companies and their fabs into any other nation (maybe except the US), they would also experience a surge in exports.