Samsung keeps No. 1 spot on Korea's top 500 companies' list

A Samsung banner stands alongside a Korean flag at the company's building in Seoul, in this file photo. Korea Times file

Global tech giant Samsung Electronics retained the No. 1 spot on the list of Korea's top 500 firms by sales, with 39 businesses newly making the list, a corporate tracker said Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics, the flagship unit of Korea's leading family-controlled conglomerate Samsung Group, remained the biggest company last year, with its top line coming to 279.6 trillion won ($221 billion), according to CEO Score.

Leading automaker Hyundai Motor, the marquee unit of auto making titan Hyundai Motor Group, maintained the second spot with sales of 117.6 trillion won.

Steel behemoth POSCO Holdings, formerly POSCO, leaped to third place in 2021 from sixth a year earlier with sales of 76.3 trillion won.

LG Electronics placed fourth, trailed by No. 2 automaker Kia, state power company Korea Electric Power, Hanwha, chip giant SK hynix, top chemicals maker LG Chem and leading auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis.

New entrants on the list include Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, the country's largest cryptocurrency exchange by transaction value, and K-pop powerhouse Hybe, the agency of K-pop supergroup BTS. Dunamu ranked 168th with sales of 3.7 trillion won, with Hybe placing 447th with 1.3 trillion won.

The rankings of oil refiners rose sharply, while Doosan and 38 other companies were excluded from the list.

IBK Investment Securities Co. and 51 companies failed to make the top 500 firm list though they registered sales of 1 trillion won or more.

CEO Score compiled the list of the country's top 500 companies among local corporations that unveiled their 2021 financial statements. (Yonhap)