On 21 October 2026 the Forbes real-time list had 52 billionaires from Korea, with a combined net worth of $177 billion. That is 0.9% of the world total and puts Korea #20 of 77 countries on the list. On 19 January 2020 it was 36 billionaires and $100 billion (1.0% of the world).
The video shows the richest people one by one. This article looks at what the tiles cannot show: the whole list, where the money comes from, how the country total moved, and what the average billionaire looks like.
How concentrated is the wealth?
The richest person, Jay Y. Lee, holds $29 billion, or 16% of the national total. The top three together hold 28% and the top ten 57%. On the world list Jay Y. Lee is ranked #82.
The average billionaire from Korea had $2.8B in January 2020 and has $3.4B now, 1.2 times as much.
The number of people on the list grew from 36 to 52, so the increase in the total reflects both higher valuations and more people being listed.
Where the money comes from
Counting each person under the main industry Forbes gives, technology is the largest source of wealth in Korea: $88 billion, or 50% of the total. It is followed by finance and investments (12%), healthcare (7.9%).
How the total moved
The combined net worth of billionaires from Korea started at $100 billion in 2020, fell to $61 billion on 24 March 2020 and reached its highest point of $209 billion on 2 June 2026, when the list had 48 billionaires from Korea.
By 31 August 2026 (the last day of the country series) the total was $191 billion, 8.6% below that peak.
The number of billionaires from Korea on the list ranged from 22 to 52 during this period. A person can enter or leave the list because the cut-off moves with the market, not only because their own wealth changes.
Biggest movers among the people in the video
Comparing 1 February 2020 with 21 October 2026, the largest relative gains were Cho Jung-ho ($0.8B to $10B, +1235%), Lee Seo-hyun ($1.6B to $10B, +563%) and Lee Boo-jin ($1.7B to $11B, +547%).
The weakest development was Kim Beom-su ($3.5B to $2.9B, -17%).
In absolute terms, Jay Y. Lee added the most: $22B.
Who the billionaires are
Of the 52 billionaires from Korea, 8 are women (15%). Ages are known for 15 of them; their average age is 47 and the median 50.
How to read the numbers
- Figures are Forbes estimates in current US dollars, taken from the real-time list. The source project states that it makes no claim to accuracy or completeness.
- A person is assigned to a country by citizenship, not by where they live. A family entry (marked “& family”) refers to the family fortune.
- Daily values are noisy because they follow stock prices, so the video steps through the data in half-month intervals and the chart above shows weekly values.
- The country series ends on 31 August 2026; the list used for the 21 October 2026 numbers is the latest one available.
Sources
Forbes real-time billionaires, compiled by komed3 (rtb-api on GitHub, MIT licence).
