North Korean defector and entrepreneur Lee Soon-sil recently met with 32-year-old CEO Kim Ryang-jin, who is making waves with a monthly revenue of $3.7 million from chicken feet.
On the October 9th episode of KBS2TV's 'The Boss Has Donkey Ears,' Lee Soon-sil visited the business premises of her 15-year acquaintance and fellow defector, Kim Ryang-jin.
During the broadcast, CEO Kim made a grand entrance, arriving at his business in a luxury foreign car. Lee introduced him by saying, "We met 15 years ago and have been close ever since. We've even participated in cooking competitions together. Jin is like a younger brother and daughter to me."
Kim Ryang-jin revealed, "With just chicken feet, we generate about $3.7 million in monthly sales." He shared that they sell 14 tons of chicken feet each month, with a constant waiting list of 10,000 customers. Lee Soon-sil inquired about the secret to his success.
Kim explained, "Every year, there's a trending food in our country. People go crazy for new dishes. So, I decided to add ginseng to chicken feet. I was confident that once people tried it, they would love it, and it could become a trend and a big hit."
Lee was astonished and asked, "Did it really take off?" Kim confirmed, "We always have around 10,000 customers waiting." Host Kim Sook added humor by saying, "I'm one of those waiting too."
Reporter Na-yeon Cho, TenAsia nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr