Kim Taek-jin
Source of wealth: Online games
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Kim Taek-jin's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Kim Taek-jin could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.6 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Kim Taek-jin 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
Kim Taek-jin could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.4 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 Kim Taek-jin could pay for it entirely for 0.5 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Kim Taek-jin could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.1 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Kim Taek-jin 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
Kim Taek-jin's fortune is equivalent to 9 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.
Kim Taek-jin could buy 2,285,178 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 Kim Taek-jin will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Kim Taek-jin is the founder and chairman of NCSoft, South Korea's No. 2 online game company which he founded in 1997.
He took the company public in 2003, and still serves as CEO. In 2024, Byungmoo Park joined Kim as co-CEO; Park was previously CEO of South Korean private equity firm VIG Partners.
NCSoft now provides online game services to more than 60 countries.
He sold most of his NCSoft shares in 2012 and now holds just under 12% of the company.
An avid sports fan, Kim founded the Korean professional baseball team NC Dinos in 2011.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison