Samsung Electronics plans 90 trillion won share buyback and 1,000 trillion won 10-year South Korea investment

Samsung Electronics unveiled plans for a 90 trillion won (about US$58.6 billion) share buyback to provide stock bonuses to employees following a recent wage agreement reached last month between management and the union ^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]}. The wage deal allocated roughly 10.5% of Samsung's annual operating profit to special stock bonuses targeted mainly at employees in its chip division ^{[1, 3, 5, 6]}.

Under the terms, employees receiving the stock bonuses may sell one third of their shares immediately, with the next two thirds becoming eligible for sale one and two years later respectively ^{[1, 3, 5, 6]}. Samsung may also need to repurchase additional shares to cover awards under a separate Performance Stock Unit compensation program introduced in October 2025 ^[1].

Samsung's share price responded positively, rising 6.3% following the public disclosure of the share buyback plan on June 24 ^[1].

Looking ahead, Samsung Group is scheduled to announce a sweeping 10-year investment plan on June 29. The plan commits 1,000 trillion won (around US$648 billion) to South Korea, with up to 300 trillion won earmarked for new chip factories in the country's southwest region ^{[7, 8, 9, 10, 11]}. The investment also targets AI data centers, batteries, and display technologies, aiming to decentralize South Korea's AI industry beyond the Seoul metropolitan area ^{[7, 9, 10, 11]}.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will join executives from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix at the June 29 meeting to officially unveil the investment plan and discuss regional development ^{[7, 9, 10, 11]}. Presidential policy adviser Kim Yong-beom said, "SK Hynix and Samsung may need to accelerate projects originally slated for the 2040s into the mid-2030s because AI-driven memory demand was growing faster than expected" ^[7].

Samsung announced its wage agreement in May, paving the way for the share buyback and stock bonuses ^{[1, 3, 5, 6]}. The company now faces a key milestone this coming Monday, June 29, when it will present its long-term investment blueprint alongside government officials.