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Nexon founder Kim Jung-Ju dies at the age of 54

Nexon announced the death of the founder earlier today

Nexon founder, Kim Jung-Ju was announced dead earlier today by the company through a press release. NXC said that he was receiving treatment for depression, but it worsened in the last few days leading to the death of Kim in the United States.

In 1994, Kim founded Nexon, and under his leadership, the company rose to new heights and achieved the title of launching the world’s first MMORPG ( massively open online role-playing game) with their game Baram-e-Nara (The Kingdom of the winds). Kim and Nexon further created famous titles like Maplestory, Kartrider, Mabinogi, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, which have been immensely successful worldwide.

As soon as the founder of Nexon was reported dead, the company made an official announcement saying,

It is difficult to express the tragedy of losing our friend and mentor Jay Kim, a man who had an immeasurably positive impact on the world,

Owen Mahoney, Nexon President and CEO

He further went on to say, “As a founder and visionary leader, Jay encouraged those around him to ignore the skeptics and trust their creative instincts. His Nexon family and many friends will deeply miss him.”

Kim Jung-Ju, a visionary leader and philanthropist

Kim Jung-Ju played an essential role in transforming the South Korean gaming industry and diversifying the global entertainment space with free-to-play online games through Nexon. Kim’s leadership and vision transformed Nexon into South Korea’s largest gaming company, with at least 300 million users in more than 72 countries.

kim-jung-ju-dies-at-54
Image via Nexon

Nexon’s IPO had made a very big noise in the Tokyo Stock exchange because of the company’s success and popularity in the region; soon after this, Kim switched management of the company and resigned the board of directors in 2016 to pursue investment and philanthropy.

He pursued investment and philanthropic activities through NXC Corporation, a global investment firm partnering with many visionary entrepreneurs worldwide. Through Kim’s innovative idea, NXC was diversified into crypto, and now the company holds more than 83% of Korbit, an exchange based in Seoul.

Kim was able to enrich the lives of millions with his philanthropy which was focused on health and education (especially technology). He also donated millions to the Prime Foundation Nexon Children’s hospital and the Nexon Foundation for building children’s hospitals in South Korea. In 2018 he pledged $98 million for startups and the children’s hospitals and vowed that his children would not inherit his stake in the company. 

Nexon founder dead
Kim Jung-Ju, the father of Nexon

Kim’s successful life was not easy. He faced charges for bribery as he was accused of giving money to a prosecutor who was his friend from university; he was indicted but then found not guilty because of lack of evidence against him. This led to Kim resigning from the post of the director of Nexon. NXC announced that the family and friends were devastated by the news of the tragic death of Kim Jung-Ju.

Do you have any thoughts on the death of Nexon founder, Kim Jung-Ju? Let us know in the comments below!

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