Cleary Gottlieb represented Samsung Life Insurance in its $4.4 billion initial public offering, the largest IPO ever by a Korean company. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley were joint bookrunners for the international tranche of the offering. The IPO priced near the high end of the expected price range on April 23, and the common shares will begin trading on the KRX KOSPI Market of the Korea Exchange on May 12.
Samsung Life Insurance is the leading life insurance company in Korea and is one of the flagship companies of the Samsung Group, which is the largest business group in Korea. The company provided coverage to 12.6 million individuals as of December 31, 2009, representing approximately 26% of the Korean population. As of the pricing date, the company would rank sixth in terms of market capitalization among companies listed on the Korea Exchange.