1. Kim Jung-ju, known as Jay Kim, was a South Korean businessman, investor, and founder of Korea's largest gaming company, Nexon.
16 Facts About Kim Jung-ju
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Kim Jung-ju was the chairman and CEO of NXC Corporation, the holding company of Nexon, and a partner at Collaborative Fund, a New York-based venture capital firm.
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Kim Jung-ju earned an MFA in Arts Management from Korea National University of Arts.
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Kim Jung-ju founded Nexon in 1994, while pursuing a doctorate in computer science and engineering at KAIST.
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In 2009, Kim Jung-ju consolidated his and his family's majority holding of Nexon by establishing NXC Corporation, where he served as CEO until July 2021.
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Kim Jung-ju is known for acquiring firms and investing in various fields.
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In 2019, according to media reports, it was announced that Kim Jung-ju was preparing to sell his controlling stake in NXC Corp for an estimated $9 billion.
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In 2016, Kim Jung-ju was charged with suspicious stock transactions and bribery after giving South Korean prosecutor Jin Kyung-joon more than 920 million South Korean won.
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Kim Jung-ju collected valuable computer and gaming collectibles for ten years with the goal of opening such a museum dedicated to the history of technology.
10.
In 2018, Kim Jung-ju established the Nexon Foundation, which continues Nexon's corporate social responsibility activities dedicated to children, and he pledged to donate an additional US$93 million from personal wealth to fund startups and build more children's hospitals.
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Kim Jung-ju was recognized in Forbes' Asia's 2021 Heroes of Philanthropy list for his donations to the two children's hospitals.
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In partnership with Nexon Foundation, Kim Jung-ju founded SOHO Impact, a US-based non-profit organization promoting creativity in kids through brick play programs.
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Kim Jung-ju was a founding board member of C-Program, a venture philanthropy fund jointly established by the founders of Nexon, Naver, Kakao, Daum and NCSoft.
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Kim Jung-ju was a key figure behind Korea's first-generation tech wave, launching Nexon in 1994 as a game-developing startup and pioneering the freemium gaming business model.
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Kim Jung-ju was married to Yoo Jung-hyun, and together they had two daughters.
16.
Kim Jung-ju died on 28 February 2022, aged 54, while travelling in Hawaii.