Bom Kim amassed a fortune at Coupang Inc., the Amazon of South Korea, that reached as much as $8.9 billion, and became the poster child of a new kind of wealth generation in the country: self-made riches from the technology world instead of the dynastic hoards of decades-old conglomerates.
Much was made about how the new breed of titans was different, more willing to give back to society and more considerate of employees. Coupang, for example, promised staff and frontline workers about $90 million in stock awards when it listed in New York in March.
But just months after its blockbuster initial public offering, the e-commerce giant is under pressure for a series of controversies, and some South Koreans are reconsidering their attitude to the billionaire and his company.