[Edaily Reporter kyoungeun kim ] The semiconductor rally has led to a significant reshuffling of the top KOSPI stocks by market capitalization. Samsung Group stocks dominated the list, accounting for six of the top 10 KOSPI stocks by market capitalization. In terms of market capitalization share, SK Group stocks showed a notable increase.
SamsungElectroMechanics(009150)According to the Korea Exchange on the 25th, the top 10 KOSPI stocks by market capitalization as of that day were SamsungElectronics(005930)(approximately 2,095 trillion won), SK hynix(000660)(approximately 2,079 trillion won), SKSQUARE(402340)(approximately 253 trillion won), SamsungElectronics(1P)(005935)(approximately 188 trillion won), (approximately 149 trillion won), HyundaiMotor(005380)(approximately 103 trillion won), Samsung Life Insurance(032830)(approximately 90 trillion won), SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION(028260)(approximately 84 trillion won), LG Energy Solution(373220)(approximately 82 trillion won), and SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS(207940)(approximately 64 trillion won).
Excluding HyundaiMotor and LG Energy Solution, these two groups effectively occupy all the remaining spots; while the combined share of Samsung and SK Group among the top 10 KOSPI stocks by market capitalization stood at 82.3% at the end of last year, it has risen to 96.4% as of today. Samsung Group’s

increased by 0.3 percentage points during this period, from 51.02% to 51.5%, while SK Group’s

rose by 13.8 percentage points, from 31.1% to 44.9%, driven by just two stocks.

Among these, Samsung Group stocks—including SamsungElectronics, SamsungElectronics(1P), SamsungElectroMechanics, Samsung Life Insurance, SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION, and SAMSUNG BIOLOGICS—accounted for six of the top 10 spots, representing a majority.
Including SK hynix and SKSQUARE, the total number of Samsung and SK affiliates rises to eight; effectively, these two groups monopolize the remaining spots, with the exception of HyundaiMotor and LG Energy Solution.
LG Energy Solution slipped five spots from third to eighth in market capitalization at the end of last year, while HyundaiMotor maintained its seventh-place ranking. In addition to SamsungElectroMechanics, which rode the AI rally, a large number of group affiliates holding stakes in SamsungElectronics—such as Samsung Life Insurance and SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION—were included in the list.
In particular, SK hynix and SKSQUARE ranked second and third in market capitalization, respectively, positioning themselves in the top tier just below SamsungElectronics. SKSQUARE, an intermediate holding company that owns approximately 20% of SK hynix, fully reflected the benefits of INICS Corporation’s surging stock price.
SamsungElectroMechanics has also emerged as a key player in the value chain by supplying semiconductor components for AI servers to SamsungElectronics, newly entering the top ranks since May.
Compared to the beginning of the year, there has been a marked shift in the top ranks. HD HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, HANWHA AEROSPACE, and DOOSAN ENERBILITY—which were among the top 10 at the end of last year—have now fallen out of the top 10. While defense, shipbuilding, and nuclear power themes led the market capitalization rankings from late last year through early this year, the landscape has shifted as the AI semiconductor rally gained momentum.
SamsungElectronics’ market cap surged nearly threefold from approximately 710 trillion won at the end of last year to about 2,096 trillion won on this day, while SK hynix also soared from about 474 trillion won to approximately 2,079 trillion won over the same period, narrowing the gap between their market caps to just 17 trillion won. In effect, the so-called “Samsung-Hynix” rally is reshaping the market cap landscape itself.
However, the Samsung Group’s share of the market capitalization at the end of last year
The market expects this concentration to continue for the time being. This is because demand for HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) remains robust due to expanding investment in AI servers, and a positive trend is spreading across the entire semiconductor value chain within the Samsung Group. However, some point out that as sector diversity among the top 10 stocks shrinks, the risk of market concentration on specific themes is also increasing.ㄴ