Kim Beom-su rose from a poor Seoul childhood to build Hangame and then Kakao, creating one of South Korea's largest technology fortunes outside the country's traditional family conglomerates. [1][2][3]
He came from poverty and financed his own education
Forbes says Kim grew up in one of Seoul's poorest neighborhoods, the son of a pen-factory worker and a hotel maid, and was raised with his siblings in a one-bedroom apartment while his parents worked. [2]
He became the first member of his family to attend college and paid his way through Seoul National University by tutoring, sometimes skipping meals to save money. That record establishes a materially disadvantaged starting point before his technology career began. [1][2]
After working for Samsung's information-technology services arm, Kim founded Hangame, an online-gaming company that later merged with a search business to form what became Naver, giving him his first major entrepreneurial success. [2]
Kakao became the larger second act
Kakao's own history traces the company's roots to IWILAB, the venture Kim started in 2006 with an early team after his previous internet success. KakaoTalk launched in 2010 and quickly became a dominant mobile-messaging platform in South Korea. [3]
Forbes says Kakao later acquired Daum in a multibillion-dollar stock transaction and grew into a major Korean business group spanning messaging, gaming, shopping and other online services. Kim's billionaire wealth is therefore tied to companies he created after overcoming a documented low-income upbringing. [1][2]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Oct 4, 2026.
- Kim Beom-su · Forbes · Apr 13, 2026
- How KakaoTalk's Billionaire Creator Ignited A Global Messaging War · Forbes · Mar 2, 2015
- The birth of KakaoTalk · Kakao · Mar 1, 2010
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