The founder of Kakao Corp saw his fortune jump by over US$6 billion this year
Brian Kim, the founder of Kakao Corp, South Korea’s messaging giant, recently saw his fortune skyrocket by over US$6 billion (S$8.1 billion) in 2021 which propelled the entrepreneur to the top of the country's wealth ranking.
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Kim is now worth a whopping US$13.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index after his Kakao shares rose 90 per cent in just 2021.
Kim’s exponential rise has managed to unseat Samsung heir Jay Y. Lee as the richest person in South Korea. Lee now comes second to Kim with a net worth of US$12.3 billion.
Kim’s rise to the top has certainly been a unique one particularly because he came from humble beginnings and was a self-made technology entrepreneur who navigated the tech industry himself.
In fact, keep reading to find out more about South Korea's new richest billionaire.
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1. Kim comes from a humble family
Did you know that Kim comes from a pretty humble background? In fact, the billionaire, at one point, had no choice but to share a room with seven of his family members.
He later became the first of all his siblings to attend college. He attended Seoul National University and paid his way through school by offering private tuition to other students.