Song Chi-hyung
Song Chi-hyung | |
|---|---|
송치형 | |
| Born | September 1979 (age 45) Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Employer | Dunamu |
Song Chi-hyung (Korean: 송치형; born September 1979) is a South Korean entrepreneur. The founder and chairman of the financial technology company Dunamu, which operates Upbit, Forbes estimates his net worth at US$1 billion as of July 2025.[1]
Early life and education
Song was born in September 1979 in Gongju, South Korea.[2] He attended the Chungnam Science High School. Song attended Seoul National University in 1998, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and economics.[3]
Career
After working at Danal, a mobile payment company, Song joined the consulting firm Innomove in 2011 and later established Dunamu in 2012.[4]
Dunamu initially developed an e-book platform and a news aggregation service called Newsmate.[2] Upbit, Dunamu's cryptocurrency exchange platform, was launched in 2017.[5] In 2017, Song stepped down from the role of CEO to become chairman.[6]
Forbes estimated his cryptocurrency wealth in 2018 to be between $350 and $500 million.[7] Song publicly stated that his holdings were worth less than 1 million Korean won (approximately $800 USD at the time).[8]
In 2018, Song and two other Upbit executives were accused of inflating trading volume and embezzling 150 billion won in rigged Bitcoin transactions. Upbit denied wrongdoing.[9] In 2023, the Supreme Court of Korea ultimately found Song not guilty.[10]
In 2021, Hybe Corporation acquired a 2.5% stake in Dunamu in a deal that valued Dunamu at $17 billion.[11]
References
- ^ "Song Chi-hyung". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b 공준호 (2022-05-17). "[Who Is ?] 송치형 두나무 회장". 비즈니스포스트 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Lee, Baekhyun (June 25, 2025). "자산 37억 달러, 수익률 1만7600%... 두나무 송치형 '은둔' 벗는다". ilovepc.co.kr. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Kang, John (November 11, 2021). "NFT Craze, Cryptocurrency Boom Mint Korea's First Two Billionaires From Crypto Industry". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ "Song Chi-Hyung". Fortune. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Sung-mi, Ahn (2017-12-21). "Ex-Kakao CEO named to lead Upbit operator Dunamu". THE INVESTOR. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Chung, Grace (February 7, 2018). "The Ultra-Rich Korean Entrepreneur Behind One Of Crypto's Most Popular Exchanges". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ 디센터. "업비트 운영사 두나무 '송치형 의장, 100만원 이하 암호화폐만 보유'". Decenter (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Kang, Joo-hyun (November 9, 2023). "대법원, 송치형 두나무 의장 무죄 판결…자전거래 혐의 벗었다". Digital Today. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ^ 조선비즈 (2022-12-07). "사법 리스크 덜어낸 송치형... 두나무 신사업 추진 동력 '날개'". 조선비즈 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Lee, Zinnia (April 20, 2022). "Cofounders Of Korean Crypto Giant Dunamu Debut On Korea Rich List". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-07-10.