Coronavirus social distancing adds US$1.2 billion into Kakao founder Brian Kim’s fortune

As a kid in South Korea, Brian Kim grew up with the opposite of social distancing: Coming from a humble background, he had to share a room with seven family members. Those days are gone, and measures keeping people apart are now helping his fortune.Kim, 54, is the founder of Kakao Corp., the maker of a mobile messenger app that has become almost ubiquitous in South Korea and increasingly used elsewhere in Asia.The firm, which started with a social-messaging app, has expanded its businesses over…