Nexon founder's family sells W670b stakes to settle tax burden

The family of Nexon's late founder, Kim Jung-ju, has sold a significant portion of their shares in the company's holding firm, NXC, to help cover the hefty inheritance taxes following his death.

On Monday, NXC announced it had bought back shares from Kim’s widow, Yoo Jeong-hyun, who chairs NXC’s board, and their two children. The family sold a total of 125,288 shares -- 649.9 billion won worth (approximately $488 million). Additionally, NXC purchased 3,122 shares in Wisekids, a software company partly owned by the children, for 16.1 billion won. Altogether, the family’s stake was sold for about 666.2 billion won. NXC described this move as a way to enhance shareholder value.

By buying back shares, the company can reduce the number of shares available in the market, which can increase the value of the remaining shares. This strategy benefits the company, its remaining shareholders, and, indirectly, the Kim family as they continue to hold a substantial stake.

After Kim passed away in February 2022, his family inherited around 10 trillion won. Given South Korea’s steep inheritance tax, which can go up to 60 percent for large estates, the family faced a tax bill of about 6 trillion won. To manage this, they opted to pay a large chunk of the tax -- 4.7 trillion won -- by transferring nearly 30 percent of NXC’s shares to the government last year. Unfortunately, attempts to auction off this stake have failed due to high reserve prices.

NXC’s recent buyback helps the family cover their remaining tax obligations while also aiming to stabilize the company’s management. The company noted that the share sale would "help accelerate the payment of the remaining inheritance taxes."

The company did not disclose the exact amount of inheritance tax still owed by the family or the total amount paid to date. However, if the 666.2 billion won from the latest transaction is fully applied to the tax bill, the family will have paid a total of approximately 5.37 trillion won, including the 4.7 trillion previously paid. This would nearly satisfy the estimated 6 trillion won inheritance tax liability.