'Taejini Hyung' Who Caught Two Rabbits... On the Verge of 2 Trillion Sales Alongside Baseball Championship Victory

Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft and owner of the NC Dinos, is raising a glass in celebration as NC won the Korean Series on the 24th. CEO Kim expressed his feelings, saying, "Something like a comic book happened today. I thank everyone." Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] "What we desperately wanted was the 'opportunity' to stand on the field." NC Dinos' first Korean Series championship in their 9th year since establishment was driven by the determination of club owner Kim Taek-jin, CEO of NCSoft. The gaming company, once an underdog, surpassed baseball teams backed by major conglomerates to claim the trophy, turning the 'desperate opportunity' into reality. The "Taejini hyung who stayed up all night" also hit a home run off the field. NCSoft is on the verge of achieving annual sales of 2 trillion won for the first time in its history this year.

Kim, a baseball enthusiast since childhood, announced his intention to establish the 9th team in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) in 2011, but the situation was not favorable. At the time, existing baseball teams opposed NCSoft's entry, saying "If a gaming company joins the league, the level will drop." Kim pushed forward with determination. He said, "I can operate it for 100 years with my personal assets alone," and proceeded with the establishment.

Kim also infused NCSoft's DNA into the baseball team. He hired baseball data analysts to form a 'data team' and developed the strategic analysis system 'D-LOCKER.' D-LOCKER is a mobile-based performance analysis system that allows access to video and statistical data of players from all 10 teams. It was developed with the support of NCSoft's technological capabilities.

Kim's bold decisions also contributed to the team's growth. In 2016, he signed infielder Park Seok-min for 9.6 billion won over 4 years, the highest amount ever for a position player, and last year, he scouted catcher Yang Eui-ji for 12.5 billion won. The team provided players with top-class accommodations and was the first to offer single rooms for each player. It also made headlines by gifting tablet PCs so players could study 'baseball data.'

On the 24th, NC players cheered after winning the 6th game of the 2020 Professional Baseball Postseason Korean Series (KS) between the Doosan Bears and NC Dinos held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

NC's celebration trophy, the 'Execution Sword,' which gained attention overseas, is the most expensive item in NC's flagship game Lineage. Thanks to the success of Lineage M and Lineage 2M this year, NC is on the brink of surpassing 2 trillion won in annual sales for the first time. The Q3 results show sales of 585.2 billion won and operating profit of 217.7 billion won, up 47% and 69% respectively from the previous year. Cumulative sales through Q3 reached 1.8549 trillion won.

Having succeeded in its baseball challenge, NC is preparing for another new challenge. This year, it established the subsidiary 'Klep' for its entertainment business and entered the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. NC is working with KB Financial Group to establish an AI-based simple investment company. It has also begun full-scale global expansion, including into North America. In an interview last month, CEO Kim said, "I will steadily move forward for the next dream."