Shinhan Financial wins top honor at 2026 Korea IR Awards; LG Electronics' Park takes individual prize

Shinhan Financial received the grand prize at the 2026 Korea IR Awards ceremony held at Korea Exchange on Friday.

Shinhan Financial took the top honor among KOSPI-listed companies and was also named an IR Excellence Company. The Korea Investor Relations Association cited the group's April announcement of "Value-Up 2.0," a corporate value enhancement plan, as a key factor, noting that it had strengthened communication with investors.

Judges also gave high marks for the group's roughly 570 IR meetings annually, some 70 investor engagement sessions per year attended directly by board members and senior management, and its distinction as the only domestic company to earn an integrated A-plus rating from the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS) for 11 consecutive years.

In the Kosdaq market, Vitzrocell claimed the grand prize, recognized for its sustained market communication around growth businesses including defense and high-temperature batteries. KT&G took the excellence award in the KOSPI market, while ISC received the same honor in the Kosdaq market.

In the individual category, Park Won-jae, senior vice president in charge of IR at LG Electronics, won the Best IRO (Investor Relations Officer) award for his contributions to corporate value reappraisal and enhanced IR competitiveness through proactive, transparent communication and shareholder trust.

Korea Exchange will also host the 2026 Sound Market Forum at its Seoul office promotional hall on Oct. 1. The exchange has held the forum since 2005 to identify policy challenges and discuss improvements in areas including combating unfair trading and protecting investors. This year's forum will be held under the theme "Rational Market Management and Investor Protection in a Changing Market Environment."