Focusing on Steady Saving and Financial Management After Divorce
Kim Byungju, Chairman of MBK Partners, Is Korea's Richest Person
King Charles III of the United Kingdom has climbed 20 places in the UK rich list as his personal assets have increased significantly.
The Sunday edition of The Times, the Sunday Times, published its '2025 Rich List' on May 16 (local time). Since 1989, the Sunday Times has annually estimated the assets of the wealthiest 350 individuals or families in the UK, including real estate, stocks, and artworks. In the case of families, assets are aggregated together.
Charles III was ranked 238th, with assets totaling 640 million pounds (approximately 1.2 trillion won), an increase of 30 million pounds (about 56 billion won) compared to the previous year. As a result, Charles III is now tied in the rankings with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife.
This calculation excluded royal real estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, and royal artworks and jewels. Although these are formally owned by the monarch, their profits go to the government, and the monarch has no authority to dispose of them, so they are effectively classified as state assets.
The Sunday Times explained that Charles III's rise in the rankings is the result of prudent financial management, such as saving profits from the Duchy of Cornwall after paying a 17 million pound (about 32 billion won) divorce settlement to Princess Diana in 1996.
The Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate owned by Charles III until he passed it on to Prince William in 2022, has seen its asset value rise by 50% and its annual profits increase by 43% since 2011.
Gopi Hinduja, who was born in India and operates businesses in industry and finance, along with his family, has been confirmed as the richest person in the UK for the fourth consecutive year. Their net assets amount to 35.3 billion pounds (about 65.5 trillion won).
Singer Dua Lipa, the youngest to be listed among 'UK billionaires under 40' [Image source=Live Nation Korea]
Singer Dua Lipa, aged 29, has assets of 115 million pounds (about 210 billion won), making her the youngest person to be listed in the separately announced 'UK billionaires under 40' ranking.
Meanwhile, according to Forbes Korea's '2025 Korea's 50 Richest', the scale of wealth held by Charles III would place him among the top 30 richest individuals in Korea. The top 30 in Korea each have assets ranging from 1.2 trillion won to 1.5 trillion won.
The richest person in Korea is Kim Byungju, chairman of MBK Partners, with a net worth of 9.5 billion dollars (about 13.81 trillion won). He reclaimed the top spot this year after being second last year. Although Chairman Kim's net worth decreased slightly from 9.7 billion dollars last year to 9.5 billion dollars this year, his assets increased in terms of won value due to this year's exchange rate rise.
Lee Jaeyong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, who was ranked first last year with a net worth of 11.5 billion dollars (about 15.8 trillion won), saw his assets fall sharply to 7.8 billion dollars (about 11.33 trillion won) this year, dropping him to second place.
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