- Kim Jung-youn inherited a 30.78 per cent stake in NXC worth US$2.5 billion with her sister Kim Jung-min, after her father Kim Jung-ju died in February
- Jung-ju founded Nexon in 1994 with major hits like MapleStory and The Kingdom of the Winds, spent billions on investments in China and beyond, and most recently focused on philanthropy
Gaming heiress Kim Jung-youn is officially the world’s youngest billionaire. She is only 18 years old and inherited around US$2.5 billion in company stakes after her father Kim Jung-ju died in February this year. After a hefty inheritance tax bill, her net worth comes to US$1 billion.
Jung-youn takes the crown from Kevin David Lehmann, 20. Lehmann, who is from Germany, inherited a stake in the German drugstore chain Drogerie Markt from his father, Guenther Lehmann. The transfer was done when he was 14 years old, but remained under a trusteeship until his 18th birthday in 2020.
Here’s what you need to know about the new teen billionaire and her late father …
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How did Kim Jung-youn get the money?
Jung-youn has taken the crown as youngest teen billionaire in the world. She and her sister Kim Jung-min inherited equal shares of a 30.78 per cent stake in NXC, the holding company for Nexon, reported Economic Times India.
Both siblings inherited the money after their father, Jung-ju, 54, died in February, leaving a vast amount of his wealth to his children. According to The Economic Times, their company stakes are worth US$2.5 billion each. But South Korea has a high inheritance tax, which resulted in the sisters having an estimated net worth of around US$1 billion instead, reported Forbes.
But Kim Jung-ju’s kids won’t lead Nexon
Even though the teenage billionaire has a large stake in the business, according to Forbes, her father pledged that his children would not be handed control of the company when he died.
