"Earning 500 Million Won a Month"... 'This Person' Whose Salary Increased More Than Fivefold Compared to Last Year

Received 400 Million KRW in Salary and 2.8 Billion KRW in Bonuses in the First Half of the Year

Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton, received a total compensation of 3.276 billion KRW in the first half of this year.

According to the semi-annual report submitted by Krafton to the Financial Supervisory Service on the 11th, CEO Kim received a salary of 481 million KRW and a bonus of 2.795 billion KRW in the first half. Last year, CEO Kim received a salary of 505 million KRW and a bonus of 17 million KRW in the first half, so his compensation this year increased more than fivefold compared to last year.

Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han [Photo by Krafton]

Krafton explained the background of the dramatic salary increase by stating, "It comprehensively reflects the CEO's performance in quickly understanding market and technological environment changes, discovering new opportunities, and laying the foundation for the company's long-term growth." CEO Kim's bonus included incentive amounts for last year's performance, and the company granted him 4,200 shares of treasury stock as part of the performance bonus.

CEO Kim is also well known to the public as he appeared on the 2020 tvN variety show 'You Quiz on the Block' as the 'Father of Battlegrounds.'

CEO Kim's compensation in the first half of this year exceeded that of the CEOs of Naver and SK Telecom. Naver CEO Suyeon Choi received a total of 1.042 billion KRW in the first half, including a salary of 300 million KRW and a bonus of 720 million KRW. Lee Hae-jin, Naver's founder and Global Investment Officer (GIO), received 1.248 billion KRW during the same period.

SK Telecom President Youngsang Yoo received 1.459 billion KRW in the first half, which included a salary of 600 million KRW, a bonus of 836 million KRW, and other labor income of 23 million KRW. President Yoo also concurrently served as CEO of SK Broadband during the first half, receiving additional compensation.

Krafton's sales in the second quarter of this year were 387.1 billion KRW, with an operating profit of 131.5 billion KRW. Krafton's second-quarter sales decreased by 8.6% year-on-year and 28.2% quarter-on-quarter, while operating profit dropped significantly by 20.7% year-on-year and 53.5% quarter-on-quarter. The average annual salary per employee among Krafton's 1,709 employees is 56 million KRW, with an average tenure of 2.4 years.

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