[Featured Stock] Samsung Electronics, fully paid inheritance tax eliminates governance structure uncertainty… Group stocks rise in tandem

After news broke that the chairman’s family of Samsung Group has paid its inheritance tax in full, Samsung Electronics and other Samsung Group individual stocks saw an across-the-board upward trend.

According to the Korea Exchange, Samsung Electronics rose 14.41% from the previous trading day, closing at 266,000 Korean won. This is based on data from current market conditions, and the increase is slightly higher than the Samsung Electronics figure mentioned in the report. Samsung C&T rose 17.66%, closing at 376,500 Korean won; Samsung Life Insurance rose 15.09%, closing at 305,000 Korean won; Samsung Securities rose 8.70%, closing at 149,900 Korean won. The KODEX Samsung Group ETF also rose 7.15%.

The stronger share prices are believed to have come after concerns were removed that shares would be sold to raise funds for the inheritance tax. Since the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee passed away in 2020 and left an estate of about 26 trillion Korean won, the Samsung Group chairman’s family paid 12 trillion Korean won in inheritance tax over five years, and has recently settled the entire amount.

The market believes that uncertainty in corporate governance—previously viewed as a discount factor for group stocks—has been largely alleviated. In particular, Chairman Lee Jae-yong did not sell shares in key subsidiaries; instead, he raised funds for the inheritance tax through methods such as dividends and credit loans. As a result, the Samsung Electronics shares he holds increased from 0.70% to 1.67%, and his Samsung C&T stake rose from 17.48% to 22.01%.

Previously, the market had been concerned that additional share sales might be required during the process of paying inheritance tax, which would put pressure on stock prices. After the inheritance tax was settled in full this time, the ownership and shareholding structure of the owning family has become more stable. This not only strengthened shareholder return policies such as dividends, but also increased market expectations for investments and mergers and acquisitions in future industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology.