[Edaily Reporter KIM YOON-JEONG ] It has been revealed that more than 8 out of 10 companies listed on the KOSPI market posted profits in the first half of this year. The proportion of profitable companies on a consolidated basis rose by more than 5 percentage points (P) compared to the same period last year.

According to the “First Half of 2026 Financial Results for December-Year-End Companies on the Stock Market” compiled by the Korea Exchange on the 19th, among the 699 KOSPI-listed companies with a December fiscal year-end that submitted consolidated financial statements—excluding 65 companies due to new establishment, spin-offs, mergers, unqualified audit opinions, or those in the financial sector—a total of 65 companies—519 out of 634 companies (81.86%) reported a net profit on a consolidated basis for the first half of this year.
This represents an increase of 34 companies compared to the 485 companies (76.50%) in the same period last year, and the proportion of profitable companies rose by 5.36 percentage points. Conversely, the number of companies reporting a loss decreased from 149 (23.50%) in the first half of last year to 115 (18.14%) this year.
A total of 439 companies (69.24%) continued to post profits. Eighty companies (12.62%) shifted from a loss in the first half of last year to a profit in the first half of this year. Sixty-nine companies (10.88%) continued to post losses, while 46 companies (7.26%) shifted from a profit in the first half of last year to a loss this year.
The trend of improving performance was evident even when excluding SamsungElectronics and SK hynix. Excluding these two companies, the consolidated revenue of KOSPI-listed companies for the first half of this year totaled 1,562.8582 trillion won, a 15.01% increase compared to the same period last year. Operating profit rose 75.61% to 143.2751 trillion won, while net profit increased 119.68% to 133.5558 trillion won. The operating profit margin also rose by 3.16 percentage points, from 6.00% to 9.17%.
Among the companies that returned to profitability, SK Innovation (096770) shifted from a net loss of 1.1578 trillion won in the first half of last year to a net profit of 969.6 billion won in the first half of this year. The improvement in net profit amounted to 2.1273 trillion won. S-OilCorporation (010950) also turned around from a net loss of 111.3 billion won in the first half of last year to a net profit of 1.2356 trillion won this year. LOTTE CHEMICAL CORPORATION (011170) turned around from a net loss of 717.6 billion won to a net profit of 227.9 billion won, and SAMSUNG SDI CO.,LTD. (006400) also turned a profit, shifting from a net loss of 382.7 billion won to a net profit of 527.7 billion won.
In contrast, among companies that slipped into the red, LG Display (034220) recorded a net profit of 653.7 billion won in the first half of last year but posted a net loss of 994.5 billion won in the first half of this year, resulting in a decrease in net profit of 1.6483 trillion won. LG Energy Solution (373220) also shifted from a net profit of 317.2 billion won to a net loss of 1.2727 trillion won, resulting in a decrease in net profit of 1.5899 trillion won. KoreanAirLines (003490) shifted from a net profit of 907.1 billion won to a net loss of 566.4 billion won.
By industry, on a consolidated basis, the electrical and electronics sector saw the largest increase in net income, rising 697.01% year-over-year. Net income also rose significantly in the chemicals (432.14%), general services (361.07%), non-metals (317.63%), construction (200.82%), pharmaceuticals (157.56%), and machinery and equipment (110.36%) sectors.
In contrast, net income in the transportation and warehousing sector fell by 62.53% year-over-year, while the medical and precision equipment (-29.08%), entertainment and culture (-22.30%), electricity and gas (-5.57%), and telecommunications (-2.29%) sectors also saw declines. The real estate and paper and wood sectors posted net losses in the first half of this year.
As of the end of June this year, the consolidated debt-to-equity ratio of KOSPI-listed companies stood at 100.81%, down 9.71 percentage points from 110.52% at the end of last year. Total assets increased by 15.77%, from 5,048.5123 trillion won at the end of last year to 5,844.9014 trillion won as of the end of June this year, while total liabilities rose by 10.71% during the same period, from 2,650.4513 trillion won to 2,934.2939 trillion won. Total equity rose 21.37%, from 2,398.0609 trillion won to 2,910.6075 trillion won.
By company, Trinity Airways had the highest debt-to-equity ratio at 2,311.60%. This was followed by HANSAEMK (069640) at 2,154.33%, KeyangElectricMachinery (012200) at 1,358.83%, DaouTechnology (023590) at 1,212.39%, and LSNetworks (000680) at 1,083.24%.
Looking specifically at the second quarter of this year, 520 out of 634 companies—based on consolidated financial statements—reported a quarterly net profit, accounting for 82.02% of the total. Compared to the 501 profitable companies (79.02%) in the first quarter, this represents an increase of 19 companies, and the proportion of profitable companies rose by 3.00 percentage points.