Nexon has established a dedicated investment company to scout gaming startups and recruited a former executive from Chinese tech giant Tencent to its management team.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, Nexon set up Nexon Partners Co., Ltd. at the end of last month and appointed Lee Jung-heon, CEO of Nexon's Japan unit, to lead the new entity. Nexon Partners, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexon Korea, aims to invigorate early-stage investment in Korean gaming.
Kim Han-joon, chief investment officer (CIO) of Nexon Korea, has been named an inside director of Nexon Partners. Kim, who joined Nexon Korea in 2024, is regarded as a leading investment specialist in the industry, having worked at Deutsche Bank and Macquarie before serving as executive director for investment at NCSOFT in 2021.
Most notably, the company recruited Piao Yanli (Kelly's Park), a former vice president of Tencent, as a director. A third-generation ethnic Korean in China, Piao previously served as head of Tencent Korea, acting as a bridge to help Korean games enter the Chinese market.
She played a key role in distributing Nexon's "Dungeon & Fighter" and Smilegate's "CrossFire" in China, leading both titles to record-breaking success. She has also wielded considerable influence in the Korean gaming and content markets, serving as an outside director of Kakao in 2012 and a non-executive director of Netmarble in 2014.
Piao also serves as a director at Nexon HQ, an intermediate holding company that Nexon established in Korea and Hong Kong earlier this year.
