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According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index released on April 20, the total wealth of the four Chinese billionaires on the top 100 list increased by approximately US$19.4 billion to US$103.9 billion this year, while that of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who ranked 81st to become the only Korean among the top 100, increased by about US$320 million to US$13.5 billion.
Tencent Chairman Pony Ma ranked 39th. His wealth showed a 40 percent increase to US$20.1 billion, as his company’s stock price in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange gained no less than 41.2 percent this year. Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin ranked 19th by recording a 32 percent increase to US$33.1 billion.
Alibaba Group Chairman Jack Ma took 15th place by increasing his wealth by US$7.2 billion to US$35.6 billion. The stock price of Alibaba in the U.S. dropped 19 percent, but the Ant Financial Group’s rapid growth more than offset the decline. The wealth of Baidu Chairman Robin Li, who ranked 64th, decreased by US$1.5 billion to US$15.1 billion as Baidu lost about 9 percent in the U.S. stock market.
In the meantime, a total of 17 Chinese put their names on the top 200 list. Their wealth increased by US$51.4 billion to US$227.9 billion. Meanwhile, only three Koreans were found on the same list, and their wealth went up by just US$3.7 billion to US$30.3 billion.
Amore Pacific Group Chairman Seo Kyung-bae ranked 155th by adding US$3.3 billion to reach US$8.8 billion. Amore Pacific’s stock price gained 122 percent in 2014 alone and 76 percent this year. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, ranking 172nd, recorded a 0.7 percent increase to US$800 million.