Kim Beom-su
$3.3B
as of 10/04/24
About Kim Beom-su
Kim Beom-su is the founder of Kakao, South Korea's biggest messaging app, which is installed in 90% of the country's smartphones. He stepped down as chairman and left the board in March 2022.
Kakao's tens of millions of users also use the app for gaming, shopping and chatting.
In 2014 Kakao acquired the country's No. 2 search engine Daum in an all stock transaction worth $3.3 billion which resulted in a back door listing.
That same year the South Korean government classified Kakao as a large company; it is the first tech startup that made it into the big leagues.
In 2021 Kim signed the Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes.
Personal stats
Citizenship
South KoreaSource of wealth
Online servicesResidence
Seoul, South KoreaMarital status
MarriedBirth date
03/27/66 (age 58)Number of children
2Education
Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Seoul National University; Master of Science, Seoul National UniversitySelf-made
self-madeKim Beom-su’s fortune is worth
55K
troy ounces of gold
51K
median U.S. household
33K
median U.S. income
0.066%
U.S. credit card volume
0.013%
GDP of the United States
0.01%
United States debt
Net worth history
Annual ranking
Did you know?
Kim grew up in poverty and paid his way through college by offering private tutoring, sometimes skipping meals to save money.
Net worth over time
Real-time ranking
Financial assets
KOREA | 035720-KR
Daum Kakao CorpImages © Forbes.com. All rights reserved.