Samsung chairman Lee keeps No. 1 stock-rich person status

Lee Kun-hee, the bedridden chairman of South Korea's largest conglomerate Samsung Group, maintained his status as the No. 1 stock-rich person in South Korea, industry data showed Monday.

Lee had 11.48 trillion won ($10.13 billion) worth of stock assets as of Friday, according to the data from market researcher Chaebul.com.

The amount marked a 13.6 percent spike from a year earlier.

The 73-year-old business tycoon has been immobile and hospitalized since he suffered a heart attack in May 2014.

Lee was closely trailed by Suh Kyung-bae, the head of cosmetics giant AmorePacific, whose stock holdings jumped 47.5 percent on-year to 9.67 trillion won over the cited period.

Lee's son and vice chairman of his group's flagship Samsung Electronics Co., Jae-yong, came in third with 8.66 trillion won worth of stocks, up 145.3 percent from a year earlier.

Chung Mong-koo, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, came next with 4.85 trillion won worth of stock holdings, followed by SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, who held 4.43 trillion won, according to the data.

The list of the 100 richest people here also included 20 newcomers, including the chief of auto parts manufacturer Hanyang Precision, whose stock holdings jumped nearly six times to 1.15 trillion won from 193 billion won a year earlier.

Together, the 100 richest people held 107.1 trillion won worth of stocks as of Friday, up 29.9 percent from a year before. (Yonhap)