From 14-Year-Old Boy Laborer to 140 Billion Won Annual Sales: The Tearful 40-Year Journey of Cream Bread Maker Kim Yeung-shik

[EBS Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door]

'3,000 won salary boy laborer -> 140 billion won annual sales' Bread Millionaire Kim Yeung-shik's tearful past! "I filled my stomach with tap water and ate picked-up bread"

- "A study room was a luxury" Eldest of five siblings from a poor hillside village, Kim Yeung-shik, studied under streetlights to pass the civil service exam for a 'life reversal' -> Suddenly resigned, 'Why?' - Seo Jang-hoon moved to silence, "Tears are coming"... '140 billion won annual CEO' Kim Yeung-shik was a worker in the Sahara Desert, "When 'Last Farewell' and 'Spring in My Hometown' echoed, 200 workers were in a sea of tears"

'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' highlights the turbulent life of 'Bread Millionaire' Kim Yeung-shik, who achieved 140 billion won in annual sales. It follows his intense life journey from starting as a 14-year-old boy laborer to becoming a civil servant, a construction worker in the Middle East, and finally jumping into the baking industry in his late 40s.

In the EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' broadcast on the 9th (today) at 9:55 PM, the secret to success and the tearful past hidden behind 'the father of cream bread sold at one per second' Kim Yeung-shik will be revealed. Kim Yeung-shik is the protagonist who created the convenience store cream bread loved by the MZ generation, recording an annual sales of approximately 140 billion won as of 2025. His representative product boasts abundant cream to the point where people say 'there is more cream than bread,' gathering explosive attention immediately upon release. In particular, it gained great popularity on social media by triggering the so-called 'half-cut shot' craze, where people split the bread in half to prove the filling, and even created the phenomenon of 'convenience store open runs.' Kim Yeung-shik, whose daily production reaches 300,000 units, reveals, "Due to the pouring order volume, we are fully operating two factories of 2,500 and 2,000 pyeong in size." Including cream bread, he produces 150 types of bread such as hamburgers and macarons, and his bread can be found all over South Korea in convenience stores, in-flight meals, large supermarkets, military bases, and famous cafes.

Born as the eldest of five siblings in a poor hillside village, Kim Yeung-shik grew up in such difficult circumstances that his only wish was "to eat a full meal." Because he couldn't pack a lunchbox, he often filled his hungry stomach with tap water, and while cleaning, he would find pieces of bread dropped on the floor, brush off the dust, and eat them. That dust-covered bread was the first bread Kim Yeung-shik ever ate in his life. Unable to attend school due to poverty, he became a boy laborer at the age of 14 to earn money. His first salary was 3,000 won, but even that, thinking of his younger siblings, he didn't spend a single penny and gave it all to his mother. During this time, Kim Yeung-shik began to dream of becoming a civil servant to find a stable job. For him living in a single room, even a space to study was a luxury, but he nurtured his dream diligently using the light of a streetlight next to the village well as his study room. And finally, he seemed to face a new life by passing the civil service exam, but that life did not last long. The story of why Kim Yeung-shik chose to give up the civil service life that he worked so hard to achieve will be revealed on the broadcast.

Afterward, following the Middle East construction boom that hit South Korea at the time, Kim Yeung-shik headed to the scorching Sahara Desert. At Jang Ye-won's words, "I think I can vividly remember the day you departed," Kim Yeung-shik reddened his eyes, saying, "If I talk about that, tears come." Upon hearing the story that he and 200 workers shed tears while listening to 'Last Farewell' and 'Spring in My Hometown' echoing on the plane, Seo Jang-hoon becomes solemn, saying, "Tears are coming..." The life he shared in the Sahara Desert was truly an 'extreme job.' Kim Yeung-shik recalls the unimaginable heat of the Sahara Desert, saying, "If you rode a bus, the handles would bend, and if you cracked a raw egg on a car hood, it would become a fried egg." Having endured the Sahara Desert for 6 years, Kim Yeung-shik returned to Korea having saved a large amount of money that was hard to come by domestically. However, his confession regarding the whereabouts of the 6 years' worth of salary he worked so hard to save provides another surprise. The story of how he went through many turns and finally jumped into the bread business in his late 40s can also be seen on EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' on Wednesday, September 9, at 9:55 PM.

End. (Photo provided = EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door')

◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution : EBS

· Category : Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door

· Distribution : September 9

Source : EBS Press Release

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