Kim Beom-soo (businessman)

Kim Beom-soo (born March 8, 1966), also known as Brian Kim, is a South Korean billionaire businessman who is the founder and chairman of Kakao, a South Korean internet company.[2] He is among the richest people in South Korea. In December 2024, Forbes estimated his net wealth as US$3.2 billion and ranked him 6th richest in the country.[3]

Early life and education

Kim was born in Damyang County and grew up in Seoul.[4][5] He is the third of five children raised by his grandmother in a one-bedroom apartment as his parents focused on work. His father was a pen factory worker and his mother was a hotel maid with grade-school education.[6][7] Kim grew up in poverty and funded his college education by working as a private tutor and sometimes skipped meals to save money.[2]

He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering from Seoul National University.[2]

Career

Kim's first job was as a developer for an online communication service at Samsung's IT services unit.[8]

In 1998, Kim started Hangame with $184,000 he was given by friends and family. The company started as an internet café business but later became South Korea's first online gaming portal. He merged the company with web portal Naver in 2000 and later worked as a representative of NHN until 2007.[8][9][7]

Kim moved to Silicon Valley, California in 2005 and created IWILAB, an incubator for Korean entrepreneurs in Mountain View, in 2006.[7]

In 2010, he started KakaoTalk, which is South Korea's biggest messaging app and is installed on 90% of the country's smartphones.[10][2] In the same year, Kim signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his wealth to philanthropy.[2]

Personal life

Kim is one of the richest men in South Korea, with Forbes estimating his net worth at around $4.7 billion in December, 2023. He lives in Seoul with his wife Miseon Hyeong and their 2 children.[2]

In 2021, Kim signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate more than 50% of his net worth to worthy social causes.[15]