Seoul, South Korea – South Korea's largest companies have increased their charitable contributions by approximately 4% compared to the previous year, according to a recent survey by CEO Score.

The corporate data research firm revealed on November 17th that a total of 264 companies among the top 500 companies by revenue, which have consistently disclosed their donations for the past two years, contributed a combined 1.5244 trillion won in the first three quarters of this year. This represents a 614 billion won (4.2%) increase compared to the same period last year.

Hyundai Motor and Kia together topped the list with a combined donation of 155.2 billion won. This marks the second consecutive year for the automotive giant to hold the top spot, having donated 209.9 billion won in the first three quarters of the previous year.

Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) followed closely with 154.4 billion won, followed by Hana Bank (152.3 billion won) and Samsung Electronics (141.2 billion won).

Hana Bank recorded the largest increase in donations, with a 104.5% jump to 152.3 billion won compared to the same period last year. KEPCO and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries also saw significant increases of 30.2% and 932.7%, respectively. Notably, several banks, including Kookmin Bank, Woori Bank, and Standard Chartered Korea Bank, ranked among the top in terms of donation increases.

On the other hand, Samsung Electronics experienced the most significant decrease in donations, with a 21.4% decline compared to the previous year. LG Household & Health Care, Hyundai Motor, HMM, and Kia also recorded substantial decreases in their donations.