This story is part of Forbes’ coverage of Korea’s Richest 2026. See the full list here.

With demand for semiconductors skyrocketing thanks to the AI boom, South Korean manufacturers of products such as memory chips and chipmaking equipment are reaping a bonanza. The country’s stock market was the world’s top performer in the past 12 months, with the benchmark Kospi index more than doubling since fortunes were last measured nearly a year ago. The buoyancy pushed the collective net worth of the nation’s 50 richest to an all-time high of $175 billion, up 77% from $99 billion last year.

Overall, 34 tycoons are richer, led by Samsung Electronics executive chairman Jay Y. Lee, who reclaims the No. 1 spot after slipping from that ranking last year. Lee, whose company is the world’s largest memory chipmaker by sales, added $13.8 billion to his riches—the largest jump in dollar terms—lifting his fortune to $21.6 billion.

In second place is last year’s richest person, Michael Kim, cofounder of private equity giant MBK Partners, with $9.9 billion. Despite being buffeted by its troubled portfolio company Homeplus filing for corporate rehabilitation, MBK managed to raise $5.5 billion........

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