Lee Yeong-hye, built a magazine empire with 48 billion won in annual sales starting with 100 million won marriage funds

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

Seo Jang-hoon shocked by "Love House of the magazine world"! Lee Yeong-hye, who achieved '48 billion won in annual sales', turns out to be the pioneer of free home decorating?! "Even invited the police to ensure a fair draw"

- "I emptied out my 100 million won marriage funds..." Forced closure after only 6 months?! The 'Queen of Magazines' Lee Yeong-hye's unprecedented situation where she even wrote a letter to the President! - She recognized the star chef of 'Culinary Class Wars' 26 years ago?! The amazing identity of the 'bestseller author' star chef discovered by Lee Yeong-hye!

'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' highlights the success secrets of Lee Yeong-hye, the 'Queen of Magazines' who built 48 billion won in annual sales. From the moment she took her first step at the country's first design-specialized magazine company to founding the country's first home interior magazine, her '50-year magazine life' filled with challenges, crises, and success myths will be fully revealed.

In the EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' broadcasting tonight, September 16, at 9:55 PM, we meet Lee Yeong-hye, the 'Queen of Magazines' and a living witness of the South Korean magazine industry, marking its 50th anniversary of publication this year. Lee Yeong-hye is the figure who led the 'home decorating' craze by introducing South Korea's first home interior magazine at a time when even the concept of 'interior design' was unfamiliar. Furthermore, she recorded a maximum annual sales of 48 billion won by successively publishing professional magazines such as wedding, parenting, men's, and luxury magazines that accurately pierced through the trends of the times and reader tastes. In this broadcast, not only her Hannam-dong residence, which encompasses Lee Yeong-hye's unrivaled sense and interior philosophy, but also her massive corporate building consisting of 4 buildings and 400 pyeong located in the heart of Seoul will be unveiled.

In 1976, Lee Yeong-hye joined the first design-specialized magazine company to appear in South Korea with a monthly salary of 47,000 won. However, because even the word 'design' was unfamiliar at the time, the magazine was not welcomed even within the industry and faced the risk of closing down shortly after. At this time, Lee Yeong-hye decided to acquire the magazine company herself with the thought, 'I cannot let it end like this.' She persistently persuaded her mother, who was running a transportation business at the time, saying, "If you give me my marriage funds in advance, I will pay you back several times over," and finally obtained 100 million won, a huge sum at the time, from her mother. However, even after the acquisition, management difficulties continued, and the funds ran out in just 6 months. To make matters worse, Lee Yeong-hye was pushed to the edge as the magazine was forcibly shut down overnight. Feeling "it was so unfair," Lee Yeong-hye eventually made the decision to write a letter to the President. Whether the final gamble chosen by Lee Yeong-hye worked and the story after that will be revealed on the broadcast.

In 1987, Lee Yeong-hye gave birth to the country's first home interior magazine. This magazine gained sensational popularity as it coincided perfectly with the era of the late 1980s when interest in owning a home was rising along with economic growth. It also captured topical interest by featuring top star families of the time, such as singer Insooni and her daughter, and the late Ahn Sung-ki and his son, as cover models. Lee Yeong-hye explains the planning intention at the time, saying, "We captured the image of happy families in a series on the covers." Even more surprising is the fact that this magazine achieved a profit only 8 months after its launch. Lee Yeong-hye cites the 'free home decorating event' as the secret. The groundbreaking project that selected one house every month to decorate for free triggered an explosive response, and Lee Yeong-hye makes one realize the intense popularity by stating, "We even drew the winner under the presence of the police to ensure fairness." At this, Seo Jang-hoon expresses surprise, saying, "It is as if you implemented 'Love House' through a magazine."

Lee Yeong-hye's sharp eye did not stop at magazines but also gave birth to bestseller books. In particular, the protagonist of the cookbook published in 2000, whose value Lee Yeong-hye recognized early on, provides further surprise as he is known as a 'cooking celebrity' who rose to stardom through his recent appearance on the Netflix cooking survival show 'Culinary Class Wars'. In this broadcast, a special meeting will take place where Lee Yeong-hye visits him directly to taste a summer delicacy and share stories related to their 26-year connection. The identity of the 'bestseller author' who sold out 7,000 copies within a week of publication and the 'star chef' discovered by Lee Yeong-hye one step ahead of others can be confirmed on EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' on Wednesday, September 16, 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 16

Source : EBS Press Release

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