Baek Jong-won Comforts Alley Shop Owners: "I Alone Have 1.7 Billion Won in Debt"

On the 13th, the SBS entertainment program 'Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant' aired the second story of the 23rd alley, 'Suwon Jeongja-dong Alley.' Photo by SBS

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] Culinary researcher Baek Jong-won shared his experience of business failure and encouraged restaurant owners.

On the 13th, the SBS entertainment program 'Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant' aired the second story of the 23rd alley, 'Suwon Jeongja-dong Alley.'

That day, Baek Jong-won checked the hygiene condition of the Tteok-Twi-Soon restaurant and was shocked.

Baek Jong-won asked the owner of the Tteok-Twi-Soon restaurant to suspend business for a week and focus on cleaning. The owner devoted himself to cleaning for a week as Baek had said, and when Baek visited again, he was pleased to see the clean store, saying, "It can be done, right?"

Then Baek Jong-won shared his past difficult experience. He said, "At 9 p.m. or when business ends, my body is so tired I feel like dying. But I’m wiping everything with a rag right before closing. Every corner. What do you think I feel? Miserable. 'Do I have to keep doing this? I really can’t take it.' I get desperate," he confessed.

In response, the Tteok-Twi-Soon owner empathized, saying, "I’ve felt that a lot," and Baek Jong-won advised, "There’s a difference between being desperate without effort and being desperate while making an effort. If you try, things change. Your kindness changes, the quality of food changes. True hardship is necessary for those running a business."

He continued, "'Why am I doing this?' That kind of thought builds up the hardship. You don’t have that hardship. You think, 'It’ll work out somehow.' Look at your attitude. Your mindset has to change. You should have felt that while cleaning," he emphasized.

Especially, Baek Jong-won recalled, "When my business failed and I was about to give up, I started again by thoroughly cleaning the store," adding, "I handed out flyers. While handing out flyers, I got grabbed by apartment security guards, chased on a bicycle, and embarrassed myself. I channeled that into hardship. I tried everything to get more customers," reminiscing about the past.

Afterward, Baek Jong-won visited the Jjolla Kimchi restaurant and asked the owner, who appeared lethargic, "What is the purpose of running your business?"

The owner replied, "My husband and I earn money together so we don’t become a burden to our children..." and confessed, "When I ran a jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) restaurant in the past, I invested 40 million won on a bare floor, but after interior work, it exceeded 100 million won. That was 5 or 6 years ago," revealing that she is still repaying debt.

Baek Jong-won said, "Then it’s not just pocket money for you two. You have to pay off the debt," and expressed frustration, "I’m telling you this because I’ve paid off debt too. Otherwise, you have to work hard no matter what. If you have motivation, wouldn’t I want to help you? But if you just stare into the distance and talk like you’ve already lived your life," he lamented.

He continued, "I failed bigger than you. I had 1.7 billion won in debt. I failed because I was greedy. I didn’t know my limits and tried to make money in construction and failed. Did I get any sleep?" and encouraged, "You have to live with hope. Isn’t this an opportunity?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.