The figure was up 3.63 million won or 7.1 percent from 51.36 million won a year earlier, based on its analysis of 345 of the country's top 500 companies.
Chipmaker SK hynix, fintech company Dunamu and industrial group Doosan were the only nonfinancial companies among the highest paying companies.
Korea Investment Holdings topped the ranking with average first-half pay of 184 million won per employee, up 13.6 percent from 162 million won a year earlier.
Meritz Securities followed at 165.21 million won, ahead of Korea Investment & Securities at 162 million won and Yuanta Securities Korea at 149 million won. SK hynix ranked fifth at 144 million won, the top figure among companies outside the financial sector.
Dunamu, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, came next at 139.75 million won. Mirae Asset Securities followed at 136 million won, Meritz Financial Group at 130 million won and Hana Securities at 124 million won. NH Investment & Securities recorded 123 million won. Their dominance at the top reflects the industry's heavy reliance on performance-based bonuses in investment banking and trading.
Pay levels were noticeably lower at the other end of the list. E-Land World, a fashion and retail company, ranked last with average first-half pay of 17 million won. The gap with Korea Investment Holdings was 167 million won, with the top-ranked company's figure 10.8 times higher.
Food distribution and catering company CJ Freshway was second-lowest at 19 million won, followed by integrated food company Hyundai Green Food at 20.32 million won. Battery materials maker L&F and hospitality operator Hanwha Hotels & Resorts each recorded 23 million won.
IT solutions and payment services provider Daou Data, food manufacturer OTOKI and retailer EMART each recorded 26 million won. Construction and trading company KOLON Global and food company HARIM were also at 26 million won.
The most common pay range was 40 million won to 60 million won. Of the 345 companies surveyed, 150 or 43.5 percent, fell into that bracket.
Another 86 companies, or 24.9 percent, fell between 20 million won and 40 million won, while 64 were in the 60 million won to 80 million won range and 23 were between 80 million won and 100 million won. Only two reported averages below 20 million won.
Finance also led the industry rankings. Financial holding companies topped the list at 113.88 million won, up 5.2 percent from a year earlier. Securities firms followed at 107.10 million won.
Telecommunications ranked a distant third at 69.67 million won, followed by banks at 67 million won, credit finance companies at 64.06 million won and insurers at 61.94 million won. The service sector averaged 58.83 million won, while shipbuilding, machinery and equipment companies recorded 57.51 million won.
The year-on-year changes also varied widely by company. Yuanta Securities Korea recorded the biggest increase, with average first-half pay rising by 73 million won from a year earlier. Hana Securities gained 42 million won, Mirae Asset Securities 36 million won, Doosan 34 million won and Meritz Securities 33.82 million won.
Beauty company APR recorded the biggest decline, with average pay falling by 32 million won from a year earlier. The research firm attributed the drop to a high comparison base created by gains from employees exercising stock options in the first half of 2025.
Kyobo Life Insurance followed with a 15 million won decline, while Meritz Financial Group fell by 14 million won and Dunamu by 12.94 million won. Wind tower manufacturer CS Wind Corporation recorded an 11 million won decline.
The figures were calculated from the companies' first-half disclosures and represent average employee compensation over six months, not annual salaries.
AJP Takeaways
• Average employee pay at 345 of South Korea's top 500 companies rose 7.1 percent to 54.99 million won in the first half of 2026.
• South Korean securities firms accounted for 12 of the 20 companies where average six-month employee pay exceeded 100 million won.
• Korea Investment Holdings topped the company ranking at 184 million won per employee, 10.8 times E-Land World's 17 million won.
• Financial holding companies led the industry ranking with average first-half employee pay of 113.88 million won, followed by securities firms at 107.10 million won.
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