Lee Yeon-woo is a financial journalist at The Korea Times. Her wide range of reporting includes policies, macroeconomics, stock market, companies and even crypto. She is passionate about connecting the dots in Korean finance and making it easier for foreign nationals to understand. Based on her previous experience as a national reporter, she also has a keen interest in social issues within the sector, including gender equality and ESG. Your tips and insights are always appreciated. You can send them to yanu@koreatimes.co.kr.
MBK Partners chairman featured in Forbes Asia's '2024 Heroes Of Philanthropy'
MBK Partners' founder and chairman Michael ByungJu Kim / Courtesy of MBK Partners
By Lee Yeon-woo
MBK Partners' founder and chairman Michael ByungJu Kim has been named one of the 15 members of Forbes Asia's 2024 Heroes Of Philanthropy, MBK announced Thursday.
This marks Kim's third inclusion on the list, following 2021 and 2022. He is the only individual from Korea to be recognized this year.
Forbes highlighted Kim's contributions to education. In April, he donated $25 million to his alma mater, Haverford College in the U.S., to establish the Institute for Ethical Inquiry & Leadership. This donation is one of the largest in Haverford's 191-year history.
In 2021, he also donated over $25 million to the Seoul Metropolitan Government to fund a new public library in Seoul. Since founding the MBK Scholarship Foundation in 2007, he has continued to provide need-based grants to Korean college students.
Other notable figures on this year's list include Tadashi Yanai, chairman and CEO of Fast Retailing, the parent company of Japan's Uniqlo; Lei Jun, founder and CEO of China's Xiaomi; Li Ka-Shing, senior advisor at Hong Kong's CK Asset Holdings; and Daniel Tsai, director of Taiwan's Fubon Financial Holdings.