Most of the money arrives once a year
Korean companies have historically paid a single annual dividend, decided after the December year-end and confirmed at the annual shareholder meeting in March. Payment usually follows within a month of that meeting, so cash from a December record date often lands in April. A growing number of companies now pay quarterly or interim dividends, but the once-a-year pattern still dominates.
The record date decides who gets paid
You must be on the shareholder register on the record date. With T+2 settlement that means buying at least two business days earlier — buying on the record date itself is too late. From one business day before the record date — the ex-dividend date — a buyer no longer receives the dividend, so the shares trade without it and the price opens lower by roughly that amount; Korean coverage calls that 배당락, the ex-dividend adjustment.
A reform worth knowing about
Korea historically set the record date before announcing the dividend amount, so investors bought without knowing what they would receive. Rule changes since 2023 let companies decide the amount first and set the record date afterwards, and many have adopted it. Because practice still varies by company, check the individual filing rather than assuming either order.
What non-residents actually receive
Dividends paid to non-residents are subject to Korean withholding tax, at a rate that depends on the tax treaty between Korea and the investor country and on the paperwork filed through the custodian. Residents are withheld at a flat domestic rate. We do not calculate anyone tax position — the figures on this site are gross amounts as disclosed, and your broker or custodian statement is what shows the net.
Read the yield as of the record date, not today
The yield printed in Korean annual reports is calculated against the share price around the record date, not today price. A stock that has since doubled shows the same reported yield while the yield on a purchase today would be half. Our dividend rankings reproduce the reported figure, so recompute with the current price before comparing.
Four figures worth checking
Dividend per share over several years shows whether the payout is steady or was a one-off. The payout ratio shows how much of net profit went out — above 100% means more was paid than earned that year. The record date tells you the deadline. And quarterly results tell you whether the earnings behind the dividend are holding up. All four come from filings we collect.
Buybacks sit alongside dividends
Korean companies increasingly return cash by buying back shares, and cancelling those shares raises every remaining holder stake. A buyback that is only held as treasury stock can be sold back into the market later, so the filing wording matters. We collect these under filings.
Where the numbers are
Dividend per share, reported yield and payout ratio for each company are on its page and ranked on Korea high dividend stocks, all taken from the dividend section of annual reports on DART with a link to the original document.
This is an explanation of rules and procedure, not investment advice. Rules reflect September 2026 and can change; check the filing and your broker before acting. Corrections: contact us.