The mother and two sisters of Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee are set to sell around 17.7 million shares — valued at roughly 1.73 trillion won ($1.22 billion) — to cover inheritance taxes and loan repayments, according to a regulatory filing with the Korea Exchange.
The sale, representing about 0.3% of Samsung Electronics’ total shares, will be managed by Shinhan Bank under a trust agreement and is expected to be finalized by April next year. Industry experts see this move as part of the Lee family’s ongoing efforts to secure funds for an inheritance tax estimated at nearly 12 trillion won, following the 2020 death of former Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee.
Samsung’s stock has surged over 84% this year, fueled by strong chip-supply deals with Tesla, OpenAI, and expectations of further partnerships with Nvidia. Currently trading near 100,000 won, shares rose 0.2% on Friday to 97,900 won.
Analysts believe the timing of the sale aims to take advantage of the rally to fulfill tax obligations. However, some warn that the sale could dampen investor sentiment, as Samsung remains one of South Korea’s most widely held “national stocks,” owned by nearly five million retail investors.
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