Kim Beom-soo, the founder of messaging giant Kakao, is reportedly the country's richest stockholder, overtaking Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

According to Bloomberg on Thursday, Kim claimed the top spot in the country's wealth ranking as he is worth 13-point-four billion dollars, while the Samsung heir ranked second with a net worth of 12-point-one billion dollars. 

Kim reportedly saw his fortune jump by more than six billion dollars or six-point-nine trillion won in 2021 as Kakao shares soared 91 percent this year alone. 

Bloomberg said that Kim's case is an example of how self-made technology entrepreneurs are climbing the rich list in South Korea, overtaking members of families that control the country's decades-old conglomerates.

It also said the surge in Kim's wealth is attributed to growing expectations of investors for initial public offerings of Kakao's subsidiaries.