South Korean companies listed on the main stock market saw their combined net profit fall nearly 7 percent on-year in 2014 due mainly to a plunge in earnings by top-cap Samsung Electronics Co., data showed Wednesday.

The combined net profit of 496 companies traded on the main KOSPI market dipped 6.9 percent on-year to 61.1 trillion won ($55.4 billion), while operating profit sank 12.7 percent to 91.4 trillion won, according to the data by the Korea Exchange.

Their combined sales came at 1,821 trillion won last year, down 0.4 percent from 2013, showed the data based on an analysis of consolidated financial statements.

Samsung, the world's largest handset maker, led the overall decline as its bottom line tumbled 23.2 percent on-year to 23.4 trillion won last year in the face of increased competition with global rivals in both the high- and low-end smartphone markets.

The ratio of Samsung's net profit fell from 49.4 percent to 38.3 percent of the total over the cited period, while its operating profit and sales tumbled to 32 percent and 23.2 percent, respectively.

Excluding Samsung, the combined net profit of the KOSPI firms rose 7.1 percent on-year in 2014 and sales inched up 0.9 percent, while operating profit slid 2.3 percent.

The data also showed earnings of small and mid-sized firms traded on the tech-laden KOSDAQ market increased last year, driven by strong performances by IT software firms and service providers.

The combined net profit of 671 KOSDAQ companies climbed 7.6 percent to 3.4 trillion won, with sales edging up 1.2 percent to 122.7 trillion won. Their operating profit declined 4.3 percent on-year to 6 trillion won, according to the data. (Yonhap)