Samsung Electronics Shares Fall 8% After Shareholder Return Plan

Samsung Electronics shares fell 8% in early trade on Monday following the company's announcement that shareholder returns for the year could reach 110 trillion won ($79.4 billion). The company disclosed on Friday that these returns, which include 30 trillion won in cash dividends for the third quarter, would exceed the previous 2020 record of 20.3 trillion won by more than five times.

Despite the record-breaking figure, the stock price declined as analysts argued the projected returns were lower than anticipated. Market observers noted a lack of specific details regarding the cancellation of treasury shares or concrete buyback plans.

While the benchmark KOSPI index fell 1.5%, rival chipmaker SK Hynix saw its shares rise 0.4% in the wake of the announcement.