The effect of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of accounting information: evidence from South Korea

Abstract

This study investigates whether the value relevance of accounting information was changed after IFRS adoption in South Korea. Related prior studies have found mixed empirical evidence depending on research methodologies or research periods. Moreover, the effect of IFRS adoption on value relevance can be different between Korean stock markets (KSE and KOSDAQ) because they have different characteristics. Also, the main financial statements reported by Korean firms had changed from individual financial statements to consolidated financial statements after IFRS adoption. Thus, this study analyzes the effect of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of individual and consolidated accounting numbers expanding research periods (5 years before and after IFRS adoption) and comparing changes in explanatory powers of Ohlson (1995) model on each listing market. The empirical results indicate that the value relevance of Korean listed firms generally decreased after IFRS adoption. However, the value relevance of KSE listed firms decreased, while the value relevance of KOSDAQ listed firms increased after IFRS adoption. In addition, it was found that the effects of IFRS adoption on value relevance of individual and consolidated financial information were different depending on listed markets. This implies that different level of demand for information environment may induce differential effects of IFRS adoption on value relevance.