Costco Korea Pays KRW 250 Billion in Dividends to U.S. Headquarters, Donates Only KRW 1.4 Billion Locally

Paul Lee Reporter

hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr | 2025-11-20 03:44:20

 

 

[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] SEOUL, November 19 — Costco Korea paid KRW 250 billion in dividends to its U.S. parent company this fiscal year—an amount that exceeds the subsidiary’s net profit—while local charitable contributions amounted to only KRW 1.4 billion, according to the company’s audit report released Tuesday.


For the current fiscal year (September 2024–August 2025), Costco Korea reported KRW 7.322 trillion in revenue, up 12.1% from the previous year, and KRW 254.5 billion in operating profit, a 16.5% increase.


Despite posting KRW 206.2 billion in net profit, the company distributed KRW 250 billion in dividends—reflecting a payout ratio of 121.27%.
All dividends were paid to Costco Wholesale Corp., which owns 100% of the Korean unit.


Meanwhile, domestic donations totaled KRW 1.4 billion, up slightly from KRW 1.2 billion last year but representing just 0.7% of net profit.


Costco Korea currently operates 20 warehouse stores across major cities including Seoul.

 

 

[ⓒ 알파경제. 무단전재-재배포 금지]