The combined market value of stocks held by the top 100 stock-rich people surpassed the 100 trillion-won ($849.25 billion) mark for the first time, aided by a rise in stock prices of cosmetics and bio firms, data showed Thursday.
According to data compiled by market researcher Chaebol.com, the country's top 100 stock-rich people held 103.83 trillion won worth of stocks as of Wednesday.
The figure is equivalent to 8.3 percent of the total market capitalization and 27 percent of South Korea's budget for next year.
Their stock value has been on a constant rise over the past several years: 66.2 trillion won in 2011, 69.9 trillion won in 2012, 74 trillion won in 2013 and 92.6 trillion won last year, according to the data.
Though the local stock market had moved in a limited range throughout the year, cosmetics and bio firms, among others, outperformed the market, the data showed.
By individual, Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee topped the list of stock-rich billionaires with 11.62 trillion won worth of stock holding, though his stock valuation fell 5.8 percent from a year earlier.
Suh Kyung-bae, chief of South Korea's top cosmetics maker Amore Pacific Co., ranked second, holding shares worth 9.28 trillion won after his company spiked a whopping 57.7 percent this year.
Third place was taken by Lee Jae-yong, the de facto heir of the sprawling Samsung Group with stock holdings worth 7.69 trillion won, a 11.1 percent decrease from a year earlier, according to the data.
Chung Mong-koo, the owner of top automaker Hyundai Motor Group, came in fourth with 4.64 trillion won, followed by SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won with 3.96 trillion won, the data showed. (Yonhap)