"I Couldn't Read Until I Was Ten"... 31-Year-Old IT Entrepreneur Lee Hyunho Publishes Autobiography

Bumbling History: The Odyssey of a Fool's World

The Founding Story of Server Manufacturer GlobalTopNet

"Keep a Diary, Success Is Not Reserved for a Few"

He was 10 years old and still couldn't read. He always came last in dictation, and his physical growth was slow, so he decided to call himself a "fool" during his youth.

This year, at the age of 31, Lee Hyunho, the successful CEO of an IT startup, has published an autobiographical essay titled "Odyssey of a Fool's World" (Intime).

The "fool" in the title refers to himself. He has compiled the epic of his explorations and challenges in the world into the first volume of his autobiography, offering it to other "fools" like himself. He decided to reveal the records of how he navigated an unknown world to his peers, seniors, and young juniors.

Global Topnet CEO Hyunho Lee, who published the autobiographical essay "The Fool's World Odyssey," is introducing the book.

"Autobiographies are not exclusive to great people who have succeeded. There is no objective measure of success. I calmly recorded the world I dreamed of as a child, and my hardships."

Lee Hyunho, CEO of GlobalTopNet Co., Ltd., entered the internet server manufacturing business in 2017 at the age of 25 and has since achieved billions of won in sales, becoming a successful entrepreneur in the IT field. The annual salary he aimed for in high school has already been achieved, and his company's goal of hundreds of billions in sales is becoming a reality.

However, he wrote that he wanted to talk about something more precious than the high salary and impressive position he has already attained. The message of his book is not a story of success. He wanted to share the memories stored by a "fool" who was lacking and thirsty, not only with the MZ generation but also with middle-aged and elderly readers.

He explained that not discarding the experiences of embarrassment, reflection, and anger, and writing them down as a diary, is itself a precious value and the message of the book. He suggests that only after this can we discuss what success really is.

Lee said, "About 10 years ago, I got a hint about life from a Japanese author's book titled 'Even a Fool Can Earn 100 Million Won a Year.' Fool is just a way of humbling oneself. In the 21st century, there are so many concepts of success that simply having a dream is a precious value." The book cover features images of Don Quixote, Sancho, and Rocinante, companions in a clumsy adventure through the world.

He embraced his poor childhood. He moved countless times, so he never had the luxury of time to learn or adapt. From fifth grade in elementary school to second year in middle school, he played soccer, but in his third year, he was drawn to the robotics club and entered a technical high school. He poured his passion into assembling and operating robots, enjoying a high school life filled with computers. After enlisting in the military, he encountered the world of computer servers, which built the foundation for his current life.

"Because I often had to write business proposals, I took a writing class five years ago to learn spelling, spacing, and sentence development. During the year-long course, the instructor, who was a former journalist, often praised me."

He boasted that he was the best writer among about 10 students in the class. The diaries and childhood recollections he wrote from then on became the foundation for this publication. Just as he accumulates the history of internet servers, management, and development in his business, his writing has also become a kind of database.

Lee's book, "Odyssey of a Fool's World," will be officially published on August 1. The first print run of 500 copies will be available not only at book-specialized online malls like Aladin, Youngpoong Bookstore, and Yes24, but also at 17 other sales sites including Coupang. Pre-sales began a few days ago, and already about 100 copies have been sold.

The odyssey recorded by this "fool" may one day be born again under a different epic name, and we look forward to that day.

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