KAIST receives 10-billion-won donation for aspiring entrepreneurs

In the early 1990s, KAIST students stood in a long line for course registration with the registration system only available at a few designated places on campus. In an attempt to resolve this problem, Chang Byeong-gyu, then a third-year student at KAIST, and his classmates developed a new system that could be used anywhere on campus. The newly developed system was later adopted by the university. “The skills and reputation I earned from that experience led me to start my own business,” Chang said in an interview posted on the KAIST Alumni Association website. “It was a valuable asset that helped me embark on NEOWIZ.”

Chang, who was had appointed in 2017 as the chairman of the Presidential Committee on the 4th Industrial Revolution, announced that he would donate 10 billion won to KAIST at the alumni new year’s reunion on Saturday which was held at InterContinental Grand Seoul Parnas in southern Seoul. “I decided to make the donation hoping that students will be given the same opportunities, the same serendipity that led me to the success I have today,” Chang said. His donation is by far the largest that has been made by KAIST alumni. One billion won donated by Samsung Electronics Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun last year had been the largest.

After graduating Daegu Science High School, Chang studied computer science for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at KAIST. He has made a success of startups such as NEOWIZ, the search engine 1noon and co-founded the venture capitalist Bon Angels. He also founded Krafton that made “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,” an online game that is loved by across the world.


Do-Young Kwak now@donga.com