10 Best Korean Stocks to Buy

8. KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB)

Stock Upside: 28.31%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 21

KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) is one of the best Korean stocks to buy. On March 6, KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) filed audit reports for its wholly-owned subsidiary, Kookmin Bank. The reports cover FY2025 and are prepared under K-IFRS and submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC.

KB Financial said in the filing that the reports were audited by Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm (auditor) issued an unqualified opinion on both the consolidated and separate financial statements for FY2025 and FY2024. In simpler words, the auditor looked at the company’s books and decided the financial records are accurate, complete, and follow all the rules.

According to KB Financial, Kookmin Bank had a strong FY2025 where it posted KRW 3.82 trillion in net profit compared to KRW 3.15 trillion in 2024. This growth was supported by a rise in net interest income to KRW 10.66 trillion and higher fee and commission income, the company said in the filing. It added that total assets expanded to KRW 584.9 trillion from KRW 562.9 trillion in 2024, and that total equity grew to KRW 39.0 trillion.

On the risk side, provisions for credit losses rose to KRW 1.03 trillion from KRW 680 billion in 2024. But despite the spike, Kookmin Bank generated an operating cash inflow of KRW 730 billion. This pushed cash and cash equivalents up to KRW 25.18 trillion by year-end.

At the group level, KB Financial itself reported consolidated net profit of KRW 5.84 trillion, up from KRW 5.03 trillion in 2024.

KB Financial Group Inc. (NYSE:KB) is a financial holding company in South Korea. It operates through subsidiaries that provide banking, securities, insurance, and asset management services.