[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] As the stock price of HS Hyosung, which was separated from Hyosung Group, fell by about 70% compared to its initial price, it was confirmed that Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang, who leads HS Hyosung, received the highest compensation among domestic business leaders last year.

He confidently surpassed business leaders CJ Lee Jae-hyun, Lotte Shin Dong-bin, HanWha Kim Seung-yeon, and Hyundai Motors Chung Eui-sun.

Vice Chairman Cho received a total of 32.3 billion won from HS Hyosung and Hyosung last year.

In addition to the salary and bonuses he received from Hyosung and HS Hyosung, Vice Chairman Cho received a 17.2 billion won retirement allowance from Hyosung, and an unexpected special merit bonus of 8.5 billion won.

However, as the stock price of HS Hyosung, which Vice Chairman Cho leads, has been falling day after day, criticism is growing that the conglomerate owners are only lining their own pockets. The stock prices of core affiliates have fallen by about 50% to 70% compared to July of last year.

This is in contrast to Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who has been working without compensation at Samsung Electronics since 2017 in order to save the company with the determination to die.

Vice Chairman Cho has been in charge of management since 2021 as an inside director of HS Hyosung Advanced Materials, but has been having difficulty increasing the corporate value of HS Hyosung since the split, raising questions about his expertise and leadership.

Among the heads of the conglomerates, the Cho Hyun-sang and Cho Hyun-joon brothers have been criticized for their high salaries and high salary increases since their days at Hyosung Group. Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang's salary has increased by 200% over the past five years, and his older brother, Chairman Cho Hyun-joon's salary has also increased by 73%. This is in stark contrast to the fact that Hyosung's performance has deteriorated rapidly during the same period.