The number of companies that either made zero net profit or net profit of more than ten billion won both increased last year, further widening the gap between the country’s least and most successful firms.  

According to the National Tax Service's corporate tax payment records Monday, some 264-thousand companies reported zero net profit last year, up nine-point-eight percent from the previous year.

The latest tally is the highest since the tax agency began keeping records in 2012, with such companies accounting for 38 percent of all firms.

Including some 85-thousand companies that made a profit of less than ten million won last year, 50-point-three percent of all firms would fall into the zero net profit category.

Meanwhile, two-thousand-394 companies recorded a net profit of over ten billion won last year, up 12-point-one percent from the year before.