MBK Chairman Kim Byung-joo Selected as Forbes Asia Philanthropist in the US for Two Consecutive Years

Donation of $10 Million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Last September
'Seoul Municipal Kim Byung-Joo Library' Built with 30 Billion KRW Donation Begins Design
The Only Philanthropist Selected in Korea This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter So-yeon Park] Kim Byung-joo, Chairman of MBK Partners, has been selected as one of Asia's leading philanthropists for the second consecutive year.

On the 6th, the U.S. business magazine Forbes selected 15 philanthropists in Asia for 2022, including Chairman Kim Byung-joo.

Forbes stated, "We selected altruists who have devoted not only significant personal donations to specific sectors such as education and the environment but also their time, effort, and attention," adding, "Those selected again this year after last year have proven the reason for their reappointment through clear philanthropic activities."

Among the 15 selected, Chairman Kim Byung-joo is one of three who were chosen for two consecutive years, along with Ronnie Chan and Gerald Chan, co-founders of Hong Kong's Morningside Group. He is the only philanthropist selected from Korea this year.

Forbes highly praised Chairman Kim Byung-joo's "contributions to the arts sector and vision for education."

In September last year, Kim Byung-joo donated 10 million USD to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He also serves as a board member of Carnegie Hall in New York, USA.

Chairman Kim's vision for education is also clear. Last year, he personally donated 30 billion KRW to build a public library near Gajaeul Central Neighborhood Park in Bukgajwa-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The winning design was selected through an international competition on September 29, and the design process is underway. Completion is scheduled for February 2027.

Through the 'MBK Scholarship Foundation,' established personally by Chairman Kim in 2007, full tuition support for four years of university has been provided to selected scholarship students for 15 years. The total number of scholarship recipients from the MBK Scholarship Foundation has reached 170 as of this year.

Chairman Kim also fully funded the construction of a dormitory at his alma mater, Haverford College in the U.S., in 2010, and continues to support another alma mater, Harvard Business School.

Kim Byung-joo said, "I wanted to practice 'impact giving' by focusing on education and cultural arts," adding, "Artworks bring beauty to the world, and education holds the driving force to change the world."

Meanwhile, among the 15 philanthropists of Asia in 2022 are Gautam Adani, Chairman of India's Adani Group; Melanie Perkins, CEO of Australian design platform company Canva, and her husband Cliff Obrecht; Jean Salata, Chairman of Hong Kong private equity firm EQT Asia, and his wife Melanie Salata; and Hiroshi Mikitani, founder and CEO of Japan's Rakuten.

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