Top 100 companies paid W2.3tr in shares from January to May A dealing room at KB Kookmin Bank in Seoul on Monday (Yoon Chang-bin/The Korea Herald) Stock-based compensation at Korea’s top listed companies more than tripled year-on-year in the first five months of the year, driven largely by major chipmakers and the growing use of restricted stock units, a report showed Wednesday.Executives and employees at Korea’s 100 largest companies by market capitalization received a combined 2.3 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in stock-based compensation between January and May, according to corporate tracker CEO Score.The amount was 3.3 times higher than the 697.2 billion won paid during the same period last year. It was also 1.3 times the 1.7 trillion won paid throughout all of last year.CEO Score found that 18 of the top 100 companies paid stock-based compensation during the five-month period.Samsung Electronics distributed the largest amount, giving executives and employees 1.65 trillion won worth of shares. The amount was more than 4.8 times Samsung’s full-year stock compensation for last year.SK hynix came next with 377.1 billion won, followed by Doosan with 49.4 billion won, SK Square with 47.8 billion won, Hybe with 30.7 billion won, Hyundai Motor with 24.6 billion won and Kakao with 24.5 billion won.Most of the companies used restricted stock units to provide stock-based compensation, the report showed.RSUs are company shares granted to executives and employees for free if they meet certain conditions, such as remaining with the company for a set period or achieving performance targets.The compensation tool has become increasingly popular as companies seek to share gains from rising stock prices with employees while encouraging long-term retention.The value of the shares has also risen sharply amid a rally in the local stock market, led by semiconductor stocks.The combined value of shares distributed by major companies stood at 4.52 trillion won as of the end of May, roughly double their value at the time they were paid, according to the report.