Hong Seok-joh
Source of wealth: Convenience stores
...
...
The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Hong Seok-joh's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Hong Seok-joh could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Hong Seok-joh could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.2 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Hong Seok-joh could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.3 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 Hong Seok-joh could pay for it entirely for 0.4 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Hong Seok-joh could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.8 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Hong Seok-joh 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 0.0 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Hong Seok-joh's fortune is equivalent to 7 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.
Hong Seok-joh could buy 1,960,132 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 0 trucks to transport them. Although Hong Seok-joh will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Hong Seok-joh heads BGF Retail, one of Korea's largest convenience store companies.
Operating under the brand name CU, BGF boasts more than 18,000 stores.
His sister, Hong Ra-hee, is the widow of the late Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee.
Prior to his start in the business, Hong was a prosecutor.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison