South Korea faces $1.1 billion in unclaimed stock held by KSD

Data disclosed by Rep. Han Min-soo shows that the Korea Securities Depository (KSD) still retains 800.84 million shares, amounting to 1.47 trillion won, that have not been claimed by approximately 26,280 shareholders as of the end of August. These unclaimed shares typically stem from rights offerings, bonus issues or stock dividends when owners fail to receive or act on notifications, often after address changes. Compared with the end of the previous year, both the total number of unclaimed shares and the count of affected shareholders have increased, with the individual with the largest holding possessing 644,247 shares worth 70.67 billion won, and the top corporate holder owning 42.23 million shares valued at 211.14 billion won.

In the past five years, KSD’s annual campaign has returned 278.3 billion won to rightful owners, yet in 2025 only 9,492 shareholders received notices, less than half of those with outstanding claims. Rep. Han called for more proactive outreach, suggesting text-message alerts in partnership with the three major mobile carriers and a review of current claim procedures.