#375

Hyuk-bin Kwon

Korea 52 years old Self-Made

Overview

Kwon Hyuk-bin founded Smilegate in 2002 and has built it into one of the most successful gaming companies in South Korea.

Following a 2008 partnership with Chinese Internet giant Tencent, it released its most popular title, CrossFire.

Kwon's Smilegate Holdings is one of the largest shareholders of Korean mobile game developer SundayToz.

Through his Smilegate Foundation, Kwon has established schools in China and Vietnam, providing education in IT, among other subjects.

Kwon's first venture in business was an ill-fated educational software company that he founded but soon tanked.

While in college, Kwon was selected into Samsung's prestigious software program for students.