Korea Gas Corporation Tops Daegu Listed Companies in Q1 Sales This Year; iM Financial Holdings Ranks Second, SL Corporation Third

Daegu Chamber of Commerce Analyzes Financial Results

The Daegu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Chairperson Park Yoonkyung) analyzed the financial results (on a consolidated basis) of 56 listed companies in the Daegu region (20 on KOSPI, 36 on KOSDAQ). The analysis, released on May 21, 2026, showed that in the first quarter of 2026, the sales, operating profit, and net profit of locally listed companies all increased.

Sales reached KRW 22.1838 trillion, marking a 6.6% increase (KRW 1.3653 trillion) compared to the first quarter of 2025. Operating profit totaled KRW 1.5801 trillion, up 31.8% (KRW 381.7 billion) year-on-year. Net profit also rose to KRW 905.3 billion, a 33.7% increase (KRW 228 billion) over the same period last year.

Daegu Region Q1 Listed Companies Revenue Rankings of This Year (Unit: 100 million KRW)

Excluding Korea Gas Corporation, which accounts for 53.2% of the region’s listed company sales, the total sales of the remaining Daegu-based listed firms increased by 28.4% (KRW 2.2958 trillion) year-on-year. Operating profit and net profit also rose by 83.8% (KRW 305.6 billion) and 15.1% (KRW 46.8 billion), respectively.

The top three companies by sales in the first quarter of 2026 remained the same as last year: Korea Gas Corporation (KRW 11.8022 trillion), iM Financial Holdings Co., Ltd. (KRW 3.3571 trillion), and SL Corporation (KRW 1.388 trillion). Notably, L&F Co., Ltd., which ranked 8th in Q1 2025 (KRW 739.6 billion), rose to 4th place, and Isu Petasys Co., Ltd., previously 10th (KRW 340.3 billion), ranked 9th. The top 10 companies accounted for 89.3% of all sales among Daegu-listed firms, and there were no new entrants or exclusions among the top 10 during this period.

By market, KOSPI-listed companies showed a notable improvement. The 20 KOSPI companies saw sales rise by 7.3% year-on-year, with operating profit and net profit growing by 36.6% and 53.1%, respectively. In contrast, the 36 KOSDAQ-listed companies achieved only a 0.3% increase in sales, while operating profit and net profit decreased by 24.3% and 54.9%, respectively, highlighting a performance gap between the markets.

By industry, sales increased in financial (up 82.9%), transportation (up 37.1%), and manufacturing (up 16.0%). However, sales declined in construction (down 42.7%), electricity/gas (down 7.3%), and distribution (down 6.7%).

Among the 44 manufacturing companies, sales grew in secondary batteries (up 67.8%), electronics/electrical/semiconductors (up 20.8%), textiles (up 17.7%), food (up 15.9%), auto parts (up 11.4%), and machinery/metals (up 3.2%), while materials/chemicals (down 6.7%) and medical/bio (down 3.9%) sectors saw decreases.

The number of companies with increased sales and operating profit compared to the same period last year was equal at 28 (50.0% each), while 32 companies (57.1%) posted higher net profit and 24 companies (42.9%) reported a decrease.

The companies with the highest sales growth were iM Financial Holdings Co., Ltd. (up KRW 1.522 trillion), L&F Co., Ltd. (up KRW 374.8 billion), Trinity Aviation Co., Ltd. (up KRW 165.5 billion), SL Corporation (up KRW 154.3 billion), and THN Co., Ltd. (up KRW 105.9 billion).

The number of companies with a net profit surplus rose by one (up 1.8 percentage points) year-on-year to 34. Of these, 25 companies (44.6%) continued to post profits, nine companies (16.1%) turned to profit, 14 companies (25.0%) continued to post losses, and eight companies (14.3%) turned to losses.

Kim Byungkap, Secretary General of the Daegu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated, "In the first quarter of 2026, locally listed companies saw both revenue and profit increase, indicating an overall improvement in performance." He added, "To ensure this growth continues, it is vital to strengthen measures that boost corporate vitality, such as financial and tax support, export market expansion, and support for industrial transformation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.