Lee topped the list with 72.8 billion South Korean won (about US$50 million), followed by Hyundai Motor Group's honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo with 67.1 billion won and tycoon-turned-former politician Chung Mong-joon, the current chairman of the Asan Foundation, with 54.6 billion won.
Hong Ra-hee, Lee's mother and honorary director of the conglomerate-run Leeum Museum of Art, who was last year's top recipient, slipped to fourth place after selling shares to pay inheritance taxes, with her dividends falling to 54.4 billion won.
Other top recipients included Samsung heiresses Lee Seo-hyun of Samsung C&T and Lee Boo-jin, president of Hotel Shilla, who received 34.1 billion won and 31.2 billion won, respectively, followed by Hyundai Motor Group's chairman Chung Eui-sun with 28.4 billion won and SK Group's chairman Chey Tae-won with 19.5 billion won.
Meanwhile, some 127 out of South Korea's 2,873 listed companies disclosed dividend amounts for the first six months of this year, up 48 percent from 86 a year earlier, marking a sharp increase driven by revisions to related laws.
The total amount of dividends rose 18.4 percent to 13.52 trillion won from 11.42 trillion won, while dividends increased at 105 companies, declined at 12 and remained unchanged at 10.
Samsung Electronics ranked first in terms of total dividend payouts with 4.91 trillion won in the first half of the year, including 2.45 trillion won for the first quarter and 2.46 trillion won for the second quarter. Hyundai Motor ranked second with 1.31 trillion won.
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