Samsung Electronics leads retail stock gifting in 2025: data

Samsung Electronics was the most gifted stock among retail investors in South Korea in 2025, according to data from KB Securities.

The company accounted for 9% of all domestic stock-gifting transactions made through the brokerage’s in-house service.

LG CNS, an IT affiliate of LG Electronics, and Samsung Electronics’ preferred shares followed in popularity.

If combined, Samsung Electronics ordinary and preferred shares made up over 10% of all such gifting deals.

Analysts cited strong performance in US tech stocks and Samsung’s relatively cheap share price as factors driving this trend.

🔗 Source: Yonhap

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Samsung Electronics made up 9% of KB Securities (a South Korean brokerage) stock-gifting deals in 2025, the top share on the brokerage’s in-house service (its own stock-gifting feature).
LG CNS (an IT services affiliate of LG Electronics) and Samsung Electronics’ preferred shares (a share class with dividend priority and typically limited voting rights) ranked next. Together, Samsung’s ordinary and preferred shares exceeded 10% of gifts.
Analysts link the surge to strong US tech gains and Samsung’s lower share price.

In Korea, gift tax falls on the recipient with rates from 10% to 50% based on the tax base (the value of the gift after applicable deductions) 1. Apps should guide users on liabilities and filing steps.
Offer automated fair market value capture at transfer (automatically record the market price at that time) with clear in-app notices on tax effects for recipients to avoid surprises.
From 2026, Korea expands Korean-sourced other income (a tax category for miscellaneous income earned in Korea) for foreign corporations (companies incorporated outside Korea) that buy Korean assets 30% or more below fair market value. The gap becomes Korean-sourced other income of the transferee (the recipient company) and faces 22% withholding (inclusive of local income tax). Corporate programs with foreign corporate recipients need to plan for this 2.