Corporate sales growth, profitability improve in Q2

Korean firms demonstrated robust financial performance during the second quarter of 2026, with notable improvements in both sales growth and profitability, according to data released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Wednesday. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, corporate sales expanded by 26.7 percent, marking a significant improvement from the 13.5 percent increase observed in the previous quarter.

This growth was primarily propelled by the performance of chipmakers and petrochemical firms, as reported by the BOK, which analyzed the financial data of 26,509 companies subject to external audits.

Within various sectors, manufacturers led the charge with a sales growth of 39.6 percent on-quarter, a substantial jump from the 21.1 percent increase in the prior three-month period. This surge was primarily driven by the strong performance of chipmakers. Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing sector saw a more modest expansion of 9.7 percent in the April-June period, up from the 3.7 percent growth recorded in the previous quarter.

The maritime transport industry was highlighted as a key contributor to this sectoral growth, partly due to the geopolitical tensions stemming from the Middle East conflict.

The overall financial health of these companies also showed positive trends. The operating profit-to-sales ratio increased to an impressive 16.9 percent, up notably from 5.1 percent a year earlier. This improvement reflected enhanced operational efficiency and profitability. Additionally, the average debt-to-equity ratio decreased to 84.5 percent for the second quarter, a reduction from 87 percent in the previous quarter, indicating a more favorable capital structure and potentially lower financial risk for these businesses.