Corporate sales growth, profitability improve in Q2
Containers are stacked at a port in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap
Korean businesses posted higher sales growth and improved profitability in the second quarter of 2026, led mainly by chipmakers and petrochemical firms, central bank data showed Wednesday.
Corporate sales surged 26.7 percent on-quarter in the April-June period, compared with a 13.5 percent increase in the previous quarter, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
The findings are based on a review of 26,509 companies subject to external audits.
By sector, manufacturers recorded sales growth of 39.6 percent on-quarter, up from 21.1 percent in the previous three-month period, driven by chipmakers' strong performance.
Sales in the non-manufacturing sector expanded 9.7 percent in the April-June period, accelerating from a 3.7 percent rise in the previous quarter. The maritime transport industry led the gains in the wake of the Middle East war.
The companies' operating profit-to-sales ratio rose to 16.9 percent from 5.1 percent a year earlier.
Their average debt-to-equity ratio fell to 84.5 percent in the second quarter from 87 percent in the previous quarter, the BOK findings showed.