Youngest kimchi master rebuilds bankrupt factory into massive 7,000-pyeong facility

After suffering a 2 billion won loss, South Korea's youngest kimchi master Jeong Min-seo rebuilt a bankrupt factory into a 7,000-pyeong facility that produces 1 million heads of kimchi annually. Jeong has donated 2,000 tons of kimchi to neighbors over the past 20 years.

The EBS program "Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door" highlighted the success story of Jeong Min-seo, a kimchi entrepreneur who entered the industry out of filial piety for her mother and rose to become South Korea's youngest kimchi master. The broadcast showcased her tenacity in overcoming massive losses and unexpected accidents, as well as her warm-hearted life of sharing her fruits of labor with neighbors.

In the episode aired on the 4th, Jeong Min-seo was featured as a "filial daughter who built a kimchi factory for her hardworking mother." She is South Korea's youngest kimchi master and a businesswoman who produces 1 million heads of kimchi annually at a factory spanning 7,000 pyeong. Jeong had an early path to success, accumulating 1 billion won in assets in her early 30s through a denim business. She worked intensely, recording even minor conversations with customers in thick notebooks and feeling that even sleep was a waste of time. Her drive to earn money was fueled by her mother, who raised three daughters alone. "I wanted to earn money quickly to ease my mother's hardships," Jeong said, her eyes welling with tears.

Jeong's mother also possessed exceptional business acumen and culinary skills, capturing the palates of customers in Gangnam and receiving frequent orders from wealthy families such as the Sam and Hyeondeung families. Upon hearing that Jeong inherited this culinary DNA, Seo Jang-hoon recalled his own mother. "My mother is a very good cook, so I have very picky tastes. However, my younger sister does not resemble my mother's cooking skills at all," he said, drawing laughter.

Following her mother's suggestion, Jeong eventually took over a bankrupt kimchi factory, believing her business sense from the denim industry combined with her mother's flavors would be successful. However, the assumption that the kimchi would sell itself based on taste alone proved incorrect. Despite investing all her earnings from the denim business and taking out loans, she suffered a 2 billion won loss after only one and a half years in the business. Seo Jang-hoon noted the difficulty of breaking into distribution networks already dominated by established companies. Despite the failure, Jeong refused to quit because she did not want to disappoint her mother or lose her pride. She pivoted to online sales and personally sought out new clients. To make herself recognizable to customers, she adopted "perilla leaf hair" as her trademark and treated her employees like family by personally preparing their meals and snacks. After these struggles, the factory began to stabilize seriously about 7 to 8 years ago.

As she was moving toward her goals, Jeong faced another unexpected ordeal when her hand was pulled into a machine while processing deodeok (codonopsis lanceolata) for deodeok kimchi. Following three surgeries, scars remained clearly visible on three of her fingers. While she once resented why such trials befell her, she expressed relief, saying, "I am glad it was me and not an employee or someone else." She shared that the scars, located where they are most visible, serve as a "switch" to make her reflect whenever pride rises. "That is why these scars are not just painful," she said calmly. Jeong does not use her hard-earned success only for herself; she donates her entire production for one day every month to neighbors. Her cumulative kimchi donations over 20 years have reached 2,000 tons. Her intense challenge, which began with the desire to ease her mother's hardships, has evolved into warm sharing that fills the tables of many neighbors.

EBS "Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door" airs every Wednesday at 9:55 PM and can be viewed on OTT platforms such as Netflix and Wavve after the broadcast.

Read the original (Korean)