Cho Hyun-joon
Source of wealth: Diversified
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Cho Hyun-joon's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Cho Hyun-joon could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 1.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Cho Hyun-joon could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.8 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Cho Hyun-joon could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.1 years.
And yes, we can also compare it with a rich country
But they couldn't just cover the cost of a poor country; Luxembourg is considered the country with the highest per capita investment in education in the world, and Cho Hyun-joon could pay for it entirely for 1.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Cho Hyun-joon could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 6.4 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Cho Hyun-joon with Israel, the country that invests the most per capita in research in the world, they could cover the total cost of the system for 0.1 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Cho Hyun-joon's fortune is equivalent to 26 tons of gold. It's hard to process, since we don't usually keep a handful of gold bars in our piggy banks.
A standard gold ring usually weighs between 4 and 7 grams. Let's say this one weighs 5 grams. It's usually 18 karats.
Based on today's gold price (excluding the jeweler's commission, shipping, or anything else), that ring would be worth $546.86.
Cho Hyun-joon could buy 6,998,201 gold rings. That's a lot of fingers and way too many gifts!!
And if you're struggling to visualize that many rings, it would take 1 trucks to transport them. Although Cho Hyun-joon will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Cho Hyun-joon is the chairman of Hyosung Group, whose interests include textiles, chemicals and construction.
He is the eldest son of the late former chairman Cho Seok-rae, who stepped down in 2016 and passed away in 2024.
Cho worked at Mitsubishi International and Morgan Stanley before joining Hyosung.
He was sentenced to two years in prison in 2019 for embezzlement; he appealed the conviction. Cho's sentencing was suspended for three years, allowing him to continue running Hyosung.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison