Nexon was founded in December 1994 in Seoul, South Korea, by visionary entrepreneurs Kim Jung-ju and Song Jae-kyung. Kim Jung-ju served as the guiding entrepreneurial force behind the company's early expansion, establishing foundational paradigms for virtual worlds and digital item economies before the widespread commercialization of online gaming. Under their initial leadership, the company developed groundbreaking titles like Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds and MapleStory, transforming the enterprise into a major multinational force in the interactive entertainment and software publishing industry.