Kim Taek-jin Reappointed as Inside Director: "NC to Grow into a Global Comprehensive Game Company"

Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft, stated on the 25th, "We will grow into a global comprehensive game company loved by customers worldwide, transcending platform boundaries."

At the shareholders' meeting held at NCSoft's headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the same day, CEO Kim said, "NCSoft is preparing for greater growth this year." He was reappointed as an inside director at the meeting. Kim's term will last until March 2024.

NCSoft Targets Global Expansion This Year

CEO Kim explained, "Domestically, we plan to expand our customer base through Blade & Soul 2, Trickster M, and Pro Baseball H3, while internationally, we will strengthen our position in the global market through Lineage 2M." NCSoft officially launched Lineage 2M in the Taiwanese and Japanese markets the day before.

Kim evaluated, "Last year, not only mobile games but also PC games pursued various attempts and changes, showing continuous development." NCSoft achieved record-high performance last year.

NCSoft's revenue last year was 2.4162 trillion KRW, a 42% increase from the previous year, and operating profit was 824.8 billion KRW, up 72%. He added, "We will continue to secure various core competencies steadily and are also developing games for next-generation platforms from a long-term perspective."

CEO Kim also emphasized the 'responsible management system' on the day. NCSoft was the first domestic game company to establish an ESG Management Committee. He said, "We will actively review policies that can further enhance the independence of the board of directors and improve corporate governance healthily."

Gacha Item Controversy Remains a Challenge

However, challenges such as the future dependence on the Lineage intellectual property (IP) and controversies over gacha items remain issues for CEO Kim to resolve. As of last year, more than 80% of NCSoft's revenue came from Lineage IP, including Lineage M and Lineage 2M. User dissatisfaction with gacha items, which have lottery-level probabilities within Lineage, continues to accumulate. CEO Kim stated, "NCSoft will respond swiftly to the rapidly changing environment through relentless challenges and innovation, striving to enhance corporate value."

Meanwhile, at the shareholders' meeting, NCSoft appointed Hwang Chan-hyun, co-CEO of the law firm Class, as an outside director serving as an audit committee member. Additionally, the maximum limit for director compensation was decided to remain at around 20 billion KRW, the same as last year. The dividend per share, previously 5,220 KRW, was increased to 8,550 KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.