Extel Publishes 2026 South Korea Corporate Rankings

South Korea's best companies, CEOs, CFOs and investor relations teams are revealed

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, May 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, Extel, formerly Institutional Investor Research (II Research), announced the results of their 16th Asia (ex-Japan/ANZ) Executive Team survey, revealing Asia’s leading CEOs, CFOs, Investor Relations Officers, Investor Relations programs, ESG and company board attributes that best uphold corporate governance standards and facilitate investment into their company. 195 companies (up from 126 in 2025) attained a published position in the categories listed above to become an Honored company, and 55 of those companies were granted the coveted Most Honored Company recognition.

To earn the designation of Most Honored Company a company must achieve a weighted score of 15 or more points across the six categories in the combined, buy-side and sell-side rankings, wherein each first-place position is worth three points; second place, two; and third place, one.
A total of 5,581 investors, portfolio managers and analysts from 1,249 voter firms participated in this survey, nominating a total of 2,520 companies (up from 1,668 in 2025) and 2,728 (2,367 in 2025) individuals across 23 sectors (five more have been added in 2026 to better differentiate sectors). This included 4,743 buy-side professionals from 1,090 buy-side companies, with an estimated $2 trillion in Asia (ex-Japan) equities, and 838 sell-side analysts from 159 companies.

Emerging trends identified
1. Increasing Performance Divergence: The 2026 results reveal a significant "differentiation gap," with fewer companies achieving "All-Star" status (1st ranked across all six performance categories). This shift highlights the effectiveness of our enhanced methodology in pinpointing specific operational strengths and weaknesses, moving away from a "generalist" perception to a more granular assessment of leadership and IR.

2. IR as a Strategic Shield: An intriguing trend in the 2026 data shows that over 60% of top-ranked IROs represent companies where the CEO and CFO did not achieve a top ranking. This suggests that elite IR teams are successfully acting as a strategic buffer - managing complex investor expectations and high-level technical discussions independently, thereby allowing their C-suite to remain focused on core operational management.

3. Surging Engagement in Smaller Markets & Sectors: The 2026 survey marks a turning point in investor attention. While core sectors remain stable, voter volume has almost doubled in the Telecommunications, Autos, and Insurance industries. Geographically, this is mirrored by a significant spike in participation for South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. For the first time, the "participation gap" between Mainland China and smaller Asian markets is closing, creating a more competitive landscape for our Asia results.
 

South Korean companies with Published Positions (a-z)

Amorepacific Corp. (South Korea)
Celltrion (South Korea)
Hansol Chemical (South Korea)
Hanwha Aerospace (South Korea)
HD Hyundai Electric Co. (South Korea)
Hyundai Glovis Co. (South Korea)
Hyundai Mobis Co. (South Korea)
Hyundai Motor Co. (South Korea)
KB Financial Group (South Korea)
Kia Corp. (South Korea)
Krafton (South Korea)
LG Chem (South Korea)
LG Energy Solution (South Korea)
NAVER Corp. (South Korea)
POSCO Holdings (South Korea)
Samsung Biologics Co. (South Korea)
Samsung C&T Corp. (South Korea)
Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. (South Korea)
Samsung Electronics Co. (South Korea)
Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co. (South Korea)
Samsung SDI Co. (South Korea)
SK hynix (South Korea)

Carvin Lee, Commercial Lead for Asia, said “As investor engagement in Asia hit record highs in 2025, the 'perception gap' between companies and their shareholders has become a defining factor in market success. Our latest survey results demonstrate that in a more competitive capital landscape, elite IR teams are the primary drivers of institutional trust.
We have adapted our 2026 methodology to meet this new reality—updating our sector frameworks and scoring systems to better distil the feedback of over 5,500 buy-side and sell-side professionals. These changes ensure that an Extel ranking remains the definitive benchmark for executive leadership and IR performance in Asia.”

For the full list of published winners, please visit www.extelinsights.com where you will also find an editorial piece featuring interviews with executives from the winning companies, including Zayong Koo, Chief IR Officer, Hyundai Motor Company.

Marketing Licenses
Extel owns the copyright to all survey and awards logos. Speak with Extel to access the award or award logo and share your winning position in the 2026 Asia Executive Team ranking across your website content, advertisements, communications, marketing collateral and more. Please contact marketing@extelinsights.com

Benchmark Data and IR Perception Analysis
To request further information on how you can use survey data to market your firm internally or externally, or deeper analysis of survey data, please contact Carvin Lee, Asia Commercial Lead, Extel, on +852 2912 8035 or carvin.lee@extelinsights.com

Media contact
David Bowen, Director of Marketing, Extel david.bowen@extelinsights.com
About Extel

For over 50 years, Extel (formerly Institutional Investor Research) has been a trusted leader in proprietary benchmark research and rankings. Providing independent feedback on sell-side and corporate performance, Extel is the premier choice for validating qualitative market intelligence across the investment community. With a global presence spanning Europe, Emerging EMEA, Asia Pacific, North America, and Latin America, Extel continues to set the standard in independent market insights.

Carvin Lee
Extel
+852 2912 8035
carvin.lee@extelinsights.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.