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Samsung Announces Record 110 Trillion-Won Shareholder Return Plan

8/21/2026

Summary

Samsung Record Payout

Samsung Electronics announced a record shareholder-return plan worth up to 110 trillion won.
The board approved about 30 trillion won in cash dividends for the third quarter.
An additional 15 trillion won share buyback will fund employee stock compensation.
The buyback will purchase roughly 53.3 million shares between Aug 24 and Nov 21, capped at 7.3 million daily.
Including the buyback, total payouts could reach up to 125 trillion won.

Summary

Semiconductors Boost Rally

Samsung Electronics shares rose 9.49% after announcing a record-size shareholder-return plan.
SK Hynix stock jumped 12.73% after unveiling a KRW40 trillion buyback.
The Kospi climbed nearly 5% to 6,912.95 points, driven by semiconductor gains.
Foreign investors net bought KRW111.7 billion, offset by retail sales of KRW315.5 billion on the rally day.
Citigroup warned dividend repatriation could convert about half of return funds into dollars, tempering won strength.

History

Historical Context

The 1997 Asian financial crisis forced the IMF to grant South Korea a $58.4 billion rescue, prompting the Korean government to restructure chaebols, close 787 insolvent banks and lift foreign-ownership caps to 100 %. Those reforms introduced stronger corporate governance, paving the way for today’s shareholder-return moves such as Samsung’s KRW110 trillion plan and SK Hynix’s KRW40 trillion buyback.

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Samsung Record Payout

Samsung Electronics announced a record shareholder-return plan worth up to 110 trillion won.
The board approved about 30 trillion won in cash dividends for the third quarter.
An additional 15 trillion won share buyback will fund employee stock compensation.
The buyback will purchase roughly 53.3 million shares between Aug 24 and Nov 21, capped at 7.3 million daily.
Including the buyback, total payouts could reach up to 125 trillion won.

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