Michael Kim (businessman)
South Korean businessman (born 1963)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael ByungJu Kim (Korean: 김병주, born 1963) is an American billionaire businessman of South Korean origin.[2][3] He is the founder and chairman of MBK Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. He has been called the "Godfather of Asian private equity".[4][5]
October 1963 (age 62)
Harvard Business School (MBA)
Michael B. Kim | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kim Byung Ju October 1963 (age 62) Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea |
| Other name | Michael ByungJu Kim |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | Haverford College Harvard Business School (MBA) |
| Occupations | Founder, MBK Partners, Philanthropist |
| Spouse | Park Kyung-ah |
| Children | 2 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김병주 |
| Hanja | 金秉奏 [1] |
| RR | Gim Byeongju |
| MR | Kim Pyŏngju |
He has been named one of Bloomberg's 50 most influential people[6] in the world and Forbes Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy.[7] According to Forbes, Kim has a net worth of $9.9 billion[8] as of March 2026.[9][8]
Early life
Michael B. Kim was born in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea in 1963.[10]
Career
Kim began his career as a mergers and acquisitions banker at Goldman Sachs after completing his MBA at Harvard. In 1995, he joined Salomon Smith Barney, where he became a managing director and COO of Asia-Pacific Investment Banking. He later joined the Carlyle Group as president of Carlyle Asia until 2005.[3]
Kim left Carlyle to found MBK Partners in 2005, which has since grown to over $30 billion in assets under management,[11] raising $6.5 billion for its most recent Fund V, becoming the largest independent private equity firm in Asia.[12] Under Kim's leadership, MBK Partners was named one of Time's World's Best Companies of 2024.[13][14]
Kim chairs the Haverford College board of managers, as well as the MBK Scholarship Foundation.[15] He also sits on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library, and Carnegie Hall.[16][15]
Kim is the author of a novel, Offerings, published in 2020.[17] In 2022, the novel was named a U.S. best-selling novel, and in October 2023, it was announced that it would be adapted into a film and produced by Anonymous Content and Anthology Studios.[18]
In October 2025, Kim again faced allegations of tax evasion during an audit by the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee. Lawmakers claimed that "Kim [had] earned significant profits domestically while paying little to no taxes", and called for a tax investigation; MBK Partners denied the allegations, saying it had fully complied with Korean laws.[19]
In April 2025, media reports indicated that Homeplus, a MBK Partners portfolio company, and MBK Partners were being investigated by regulatory authorities for alleged financial regulation violations. Both Homeplus and MBK Partners management reportedly denied all allegations. To support affected small businesses, Kim provided several hundred billion won in personal funds to suppliers and acted as a personal guarantor for debtor-in-possession financing.[20]
Philanthropy
In 2010, Kim pledged $7.5 million toward the construction of a new dormitory at Haverford College. The dorm was named "Kim Hall" in honor of his father, Kim Ki Yong.[21][15]
In August 2021, Kim pledged KRW30 billion ($27 million) to the Seoul Metropolitan Government to build a public library in Seoul. Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced Seoul would honor the gift by naming the library after the donor, The Seoul Public Kim ByungJu Library. The gift was reported to represent the first-ever donation by an individual for the construction of a civic institution in Seoul.[22]
In December 2021, Kim was named to Forbes Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy list.[23] In December 2022 and December 2024, he was named to Forbes Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy list again.[24][25]
In September 2022, Kim donated $10 million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The museum stated it would name a gallery after Kim and his wife, the Michael B. Kim and Kyung Ah Park Gallery. This would be the first gallery in the museum to be named after a person of Korean descent.[26]
In April 2024, Haverford announced that Kim was donating $25 million to the college (equal to the largest single gift the school had ever received) to establish an Institute for Ethical Inquiry and Leadership and to fund related faculty positions.[21][27]
MBK Scholarship Foundation
Kim established the MBK Scholarship Foundation in 2007 to provide need-based financial support for students pursuing higher education. The foundation offers full coverage of university admission fees and tuition for selected students based on academic performance. According to the foundation, selection is open to incoming university students based on academic achievement and financial need, without regard to gender, religion, field of study, or university attended. As of 2023, the foundation had supported 215 scholars.[28][29]
Personal life
Kim is married to Park Kyung-ah, the daughter of Park Tae-joon, the late South Korean Prime Minister and founder of South Korea's largest steel company, POSCO. The couple have two children and live in Seoul.[11]
Honors and recognition
- 2013, Awarded Asian Venture Capital Journal's “Private Equity Professional of the Year”[30]
- 2017, Awarded “Philanthropist of the Year” by the Council of Korean Americans[31]
- 2015, Named one of Bloomberg Markets “The 50 Most Influential”[32]
- 2021, Named one of Forbes’ “Asia’s 2021 Heroes of Philanthropy”[33]
- 2022, Named one of Forbes’ “Asia’s 2022 Heroes of Philanthropy”[34]
- 2024, Voted “Most Influential in Korea’s Capital Market” by Market Insight[35]
- 2024, Elected Chair of the Haverford College Board of Managers[36][37]
- 2024 Named one of Forbes’ “Asia’s 2024 Heroes of Philanthropy”[38]