Kakao Board Chairman Kim Beom-soo, who promised to donate half of his fortune, made an official pledge to donate.
Kakao announced today (16th) that Chairman Kim was named as the 220th donor of'The Giving Pledge', a voluntary donation campaign.
'The Giving Pledge' is a donation campaign launched in 2010 by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, his wife Merlinda Gates, and Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway's president, promising the return of wealth to society.
Currently, 220 people from 25 countries have pledged, and Tesla founder Elon Musk and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg joined the donation procession.
Prior to Chairman Kim, Chairman Kim Bong-jin, the founder of Bae-eui ethnic group, promised to donate half of his fortune by registering as the 219th donor of'The Giving Pledge'.
In his pledge, Chairman Kim said, "The young man who raised his dream of starting a business after seeing the special article on the 20th anniversary of the founding of Microsoft in 1995 is now facing a pledge of Giving Pledge. "I would like to express my respect and appreciation to the Bill and Mullinda Gates, Warren Buffett, and other donors who provided the opportunity."
Chairman Kim said, "Through this pledge today, I and my wife are trying to give back more than half of their wealth to society until they die." “I will start using donations from what I have,” he said.
Chairman Kim said, "After gaining the goal of wealth, I lost my direction in my life and had to wander for a while, but I was able to take the rudder in my future life after seeing the poem'What is success?' After starting a project to nurture and support 100 entrepreneurs (CEOs) a year ago, the Kakao community has produced a wonderful fruit and has an impact on the lives of many people in Korea.”
Chairman Kim said, "Starting with the pledge, our couple is trying to solve social problems in areas that are difficult for companies to access," and said, "We discover and support 100 innovators who are actively working to solve social problems through social enterprises or foundations, and provide future education. "We are looking for suitable alternatives to the system, we will try to set up a playground that is inclined by the gap between the rich and the poor, and we will spare no effort to support those who help the sick and needy."
He also said, "I would like to lend this position to my family, who have readily agreed and supported the pledge, hoping to contribute to the journey of other innovators who are challenging to change the world."
(Photo = Yonhap News)