"The 2 trillion won wealth theory" Seo Jang-hoon met the real 2 trillionaire.
On the broadcast on the 30th of EBS and E Channel's jointly produced "Seo Jang-hoon's neighbor millionaire" (hereafter referred to as "neighbor millionaire"), the protagonist of the "K-beauty success myth" Kim Han-kyun grants and shared his life story. From being a poor cosmetics store part-timer earning a minimum wage of 20,800 won to growing into a CEO leading a corporation valued at 2 trillion won, his stories of perseverance and challenges have become an inspiration to many.
Kim Han-kyun, who was a poor boy from a low-income neighborhood, was teased for wearing the same clothes every day, yet he never gave up on his dream of "wanting to change the environment himself." Due to the family circumstances, he entered the workforce at the age of 19 and met a turning point in his life with his first part-time job at a cosmetics store. Based on that experience, he became the first and only "male beauty power blogger" in South Korea and achieved great success as a blogger with up to 100,000 visits a day. Seo Jang-hoon praised him, saying, "These days, it's nothing for men to take care of themselves, but back then, he went down a path that no one else was taking."
Based on the success of his blog, Kim Han-kyun founded his first cosmetics brand at the age of 28, but the outcome was nothing short of a "huge failure." After juggling 3 to 4 part-time jobs to make ends meet, the mask pack he created targeting the Chinese market during his 3 to 4 years of entrepreneurship became a massive hit. By 2023, the accumulated sales of that mask pack in China reached 2.2 billion sheets, which is a record of selling 7 sheets per second since entering the market in 2014. The secret to sweeping the Chinese market with an unfamiliar low-cost brand was Kim Han-kyun's thorough "preparedness." After the decision to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea in 2016, China strengthened export regulations on Korean cosmetics. However, thanks to having obtained hygiene approval in advance, Kim Han-kyun's mask packs were able to fill the void left by other companies whose exports were suspended.
Kim Han-kyun directly addressed the rumor of being a "2 trillionaire in his 30s" through "neighbor millionaire." Due to his success in China, he achieved annual sales in the range of 200 billion won in his 7th year of entrepreneurship, and he explained that the proposed acquisition amount for the company at that time was 2 trillion won. Kim Han-kyun added, "At that time, I was scared and didn't know much, so I refused, and that made a lot of news." He revealed, "The most anxious time was when I reached the top," saying that he maintains his anxiety by sticking to a daily routine of morning exercise, diary writing, and studying economics. He also mentioned that he focuses on "time-saving" by sleeping just 3 to 4 hours every day and economizing the 3 minutes spent brushing his teeth. Kim Han-kyun stated, "Time is my greatest asset. If I could buy time with money, I would."
Finally, Kim Han-kyun explained the reason for "continuing to work after achieving economic freedom," saying, "I like seeing that my existence is needed in the world and that the world is changing positively because of me." Seo Jang-hoon also empathized, saying, "I also receive this question a lot. Work is a process of confirming my value as a person." Next week, a segment featuring '1st generation CI designer' Gu Jeong-soon, a master of Korean brand logos, will be broadcast. EBS x E Channel's "Seo Jang-hoon's neighbor millionaire" airs every Wednesday at 9:55 p.m.
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