Kwon Hyuk-bin
South Korean billionaire (born 1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kwon Hyuk-bin (Korean: 권혁빈; born 1974)[1] is a South Korean businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a billionaire who founded South Korea's third-largest gaming company Smilegate, in 2002. Smilegate is the maker of popular games such as Crossfire, Lost Ark, and others. Crossfire is the most popular first-person shooter game in history.[2]
Kwon Hyuk-bin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 (age 51–52) |
| Other name | HyukBin Kwon or Kwon Hyuk-bin |
| Alma mater | Sogang University (BEng.) |
| Occupations | Businessman, investor, philanthropist |
| Title | Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Smilegate |
He is among the richest people in South Korea. In April 2025, Forbes estimated his net wealth at US$2.55 billion and ranked him 13th richest in the country.[3]
Education and career
Kwon holds an electrical engineering degree from Sogang University.[citation needed] After a failed education startup, 4Csof, Kwon turned down a software engineering position at Samsung to pursue his goal of developing video games. He partnered with Tencent to break into the Chinese high-technology market.[4][1][5]
Philanthropy
Kwon operates three foundations: Hope Studio, a social contribution foundation; Orange Planet Entrepreneurship Foundation, which supports young entrepreneurs; and Future Lab, which contributes to expanding creative education environments for children and youth.[6] He has donated over $5 million to building schools in Vietnam and China.[4] He has also contributed over $2 million to his alma mater at Sogang University.[7]