“The ‘Parents’ Money’ Advantage” — About 5,400 Minors Hold More Than KRW 100 Million in Stocks

[Financial News] The value of domestic listed stocks held by minors exceeded KRW 7.3 trillion at the end of last year. Among them, the number of minors holding stocks worth at least KRW 100 million nearly doubled in just one year.

According to data submitted by the Korea Securities Depository (KSD) to the office of Park Sung-hoon, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Policy Committee, 769,600 minors held stocks listed on the KOSPI Composite Index, KOSDAQ, and KONEX as of the end of last year. Their holdings totaled KRW 7.3113 trillion, Newsis reported.
The value of stocks held by minors surged by KRW 2.6612 trillion, or 57.2%, from KRW 4.6501 trillion in 2024. The increase was particularly notable among those with large holdings. The number of minors holding at least KRW 100 million rose 92.9%, from 2,800 in 2024 to 5,400 last year. Over the same period, the number holding at least KRW 50 million but less than KRW 100 million jumped 127.3%, from 4,400 to 10,000.
The number of minors holding at least KRW 10 million but less than KRW 50 million increased 64.4% over the same period, from 89,600 to 147,300. By contrast, the number of small-scale holders with less than KRW 10 million fell by 69,800, from 676,600 in 2024 to 606,800 last year. The total number of minor stockholders also edged down from 773,400 at the end of 2024 to 769,600 at the end of last year.

Although the number of holders declined, the value of their assets increased significantly. This trend was especially pronounced among children under 10. The number of stockholders under 10 fell by 22,600, from 254,700 in 2024 to 232,100 last year. However, the value of their holdings rose 47.0% over the same period, from KRW 1.2488 trillion to KRW 1.8355 trillion. This is believed to reflect an increase in the assessed value of their holdings following the rise in South Korean stock markets last year.
“The fact that minors’ stock holdings have exceeded KRW 7 trillion means that stock investment is no longer an area limited to adults,” Park said. “Apart from the positive aspect of broadening the investment base, we need to closely examine whether the transfer of parents’ assets into their children’s names is creating cases of improper gifting or blind spots in tracing the source of funds.”
[email protected] Kim Hee-sun Reporter