90 listed firms to spend 7.4 tln won in cash dividends in July

Last month, 90 listed firms in South Korea announced plans to distribute a total of 7.4 trillion won in cash dividends to shareholders, according to data released by the Korea Exchange on Thursday. Samsung Electronics Co. led the pack with a dividend payout of 2.5 trillion won, followed by Hyundai Motor Co. with 700 billion won.

The payouts were part of a broader trend among top-cap companies to boost shareholder returns, as demand for higher dividends grows and government policies aim to strengthen shareholder rights, market watchers noted.

In addition to dividend distributions, several listed firms, particularly financial holding companies, made plans to retire their own shares in July. Shinhan Financial Group and KB Financial Group each announced intentions to buy back about 700 billion won worth of their respective shares and subsequently cancel them, the bourse operator reported.