Kim Taek-jin’s net worth sits at roughly $406 million in late 2026, well below the $980 million Forbes assigned the NCSoft founder in April 2025. The gap comes down to one asset: a 12.2% stake in the company behind Lineage and AION, and the share price that stake rides on.
Below, we break down where each estimate comes from, what his shares are worth at different prices, how he is paid, and how NCSoft’s biggest games, ending with the global launch of AION 2 in October 2026, feed the fortune.
How Much Is Kim Taek-jin Worth?
Three published estimates frame the answer. Forbes put him at about $1 billion in December 2024 and then at $980 million on its April 2025 ranking of South Korea’s richest people. A data aggregator’s more recent figure is far lower.
| Estimate | Date | Net Worth | Source Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes, 32nd richest in South Korea | December 2024 | $1 billion | Forbes estimate cited on his profile |
| Forbes South Korea list, 31st place | April 2025 | $980 million | Forbes April 2025 ranking |
| MarketScreener insider profile | September 29, 2026 | $406 million | Share-based aggregator estimate |
Both Forbes figures put him at the edge of billionaire territory, and the 2025 number is the latest Forbes estimate we could confirm. The aggregator figure is a share-price calculation, not a full wealth audit, and it moves with the stock.
How Much of NCSoft Does Kim Taek-jin Own?
Kim holds 2,628,000 shares, or 12.2% of NC Corporation, as of September 20, 2026. He founded the company in 1997 and sold most of his shares to Nexon in 2012.
Because the share count is fixed, the value of the stake is simple arithmetic. These are illustrative prices, not a current quote:
| NCSoft Share Price | Value of 2,628,000 Shares |
|---|---|
| 200,000 won | 525.6 billion won |
| 225,000 won | 591.3 billion won |
| 250,000 won | 657 billion won |
Every 25,000 won move in the share price shifts his stake by about 65.7 billion won. That sensitivity explains how a Forbes figure from April 2025 and an aggregator figure from September 2026 can differ by hundreds of millions of dollars without any change in how many shares he owns.
How Much Is Kim Taek-jin Paid as NCSoft CEO?
Kim received 7.246 billion won from NCSoft for 2023, including a salary of 2.559 billion won and bonuses of 4.665 billion won. That was about 41% below the 12.381 billion won he received the year before.
Pay is a small slice of his wealth next to the stake. He shares the top job today: Byungmoo Park became co-CEO in March 2024 and runs business operations, while Kim leads game development and creative work.
From Hangul to Lineage: How the NCSoft Founder Built His Fortune
Kim studied electrical engineering at Seoul National University, co-developed the Hangul word processor and co-founded Hanmesoft in 1989, then worked as a lead developer at Hyundai Electronics in the mid-1990s. After founding the early web portal Aminet, he started NCSoft in March 1997, and launched Lineage in March 1998, one of South Korea’s first MMORPGs.
NCSoft listed on KOSDAQ in July 2000. In 2011 Kim launched the professional baseball team NC Dinos, which NCSoft owns and he still heads as club owner. After his 2004 divorce he gave his first wife stock worth 30 billion won, an early marker of how much of his wealth sat in company shares.
How Do Lineage and AION 2 Drive NCSoft’s Earnings?
Want proof the games drive the fortune? Look at NCSoft’s second quarter of 2026. Revenue reached 770.5 billion won, up 101% from a year earlier, with operating profit of 173.9 billion won and net income of 131.2 billion won.
- PC games: 343.8 billion won, a record for the second straight quarter, with Lineage Classic contributing 185.5 billion won.
- AION 2: 71.9 billion won of revenue in the quarter.
- Mobile games: 185.3 billion won, with Lineage M up 4% on the previous quarter.
- Overseas sales: 52% of revenue, ahead of the domestic share for the first time in the reported period.
AION 2 reached players in South Korea and Taiwan first, then went global on October 5, 2026 as a free-to-play PC game on Steam and NC’s PURPLE platform, after early access began September 30. It topped Steam’s top sellers chart in more than 10 regions during early access. Fans tracking how the game’s classes stack up can check the AION 2 class ranking comparison.
Strong global sales would feed straight into the share price that sets the value of Kim’s stake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kim Taek-jin a Billionaire?
Forbes estimated Kim Taek-jin at $1 billion in December 2024 and $980 million in April 2025, so he sat at or just under the billionaire line. A September 2026 aggregator estimate puts him at $406 million.
Who Owns the NC Dinos Baseball Team?
NCSoft owns the NC Dinos. Kim Taek-jin launched the professional baseball team through the company in 2011 and still heads it as club owner.
Is Kim Taek-jin Still the CEO of NCSoft?
Yes. He has led NCSoft since founding it in 1997 and has been co-CEO alongside Byungmoo Park since March 2024, focusing on game development and creative work.
How Old Is Kim Taek-jin?
Kim Taek-jin was born on March 14, 1967, in Seoul, which makes him 59 in 2026.
