Lee Kun-hee (left) and Lee Jae-yong Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee and his son Jae-yong are the two richest people in Korea, according to Bloomberg's latest list of the world's 400 wealthiest people.
The elder Lee, who is worth $12.2 billion, ranks 92nd worldwide and is the only Korean among the 100 richest.
The younger Lee ranked 224th with assets of US$6.2 billion, coming in second among Koreans. Until September of this year, he was only the fifth-richest person in Korea, but the value of his stakes in Samsung SDS surged following its listing.
Samsung SDS, listed last month, is currently worth around W350,000 per share, which is around double the offering price of W190,000 (US$1=W1,111).
Lee Jae-yong pushed Amore Pacific chairman Suh Kyung-bae down to third place in Korea. Suh, who was included among the 200 world wealthiest individuals for the first time last month, ranked 229th in the latest list with $6.1 billion.
Nothing has changed at the top since the last list came out. Bill Gates is No. 1 in the world with $87.8 billion, followed by Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim and Warren Buffett.
