‘Daegu Rice Shop Ajusshi’ Shin Hong-sik made us rethink the definition of ‘real rich’ through the second act of his life of donation and sharing.

On the 18th, EBS and E Channel co-produced ‘Seo Jang-hoon’s Millionaire Next Door ‘, the life story of Chairman Shin Hong-sik, the’ Daegu Manufacturing Legend ‘who created a myth of monthly sales of 300 million won in the early 1990s by manufacturing computer monitors, was revealed.Shin Hong-sik, who grew up in a wealthy family, started a business in his 20s with the help of his father.Then, an accident occurred and he faced a life crisis that reduced him to a single room in a 280-pyeong mansion.Even while working at a company earning a monthly salary of 300,000 won, he never gave up on his dream of making a comeback.And about 10 years later, he finally achieved great success by creating one of the top 5 industrial companies in Daegu.

However, the reason Daegu citizens respect Shin Hong-sik is not because of his success as a businessman.Shin Hong-sik became a hot topic by opening a tea house in a 100-year-old traditional Korean house, the first of its kind in Korea.It cost 10 billion won just to purchase and repair.Although there were many suggestions to make money by building high-rise buildings, he chose to preserve the traditional Korean house and preserve our traditional culture.Shin Hong-sik also collected 1,000 paintings over 30 years, dreaming of building an art museum where citizens can view them for free.He explained, “Money disappears when you spend it, but art always exists.It will be able to show the breath of our ancestors even hundreds of years later.” In addition, Shin Hong-sik is also active as a good landlord who rents out space to local artists for free.

Shin Hong-sik is also famous as the rice shop owner in Daegu.He has been delivering rice directly to 85 households for 28 years since IMF crisis.It costs 4 to 5 million won just to deliver rice every month.He added, “If you make money, it’s natural to help those in need around you.” Shin Hong-sik is also the 5th member of the Daegu Honor Society(a group of high-value donors who have donated more than 100 million won).In recognition of his contribution to spreading this culture of sharing, he served as the president of a sharing organization and was awarded the Order of Civil Merit, Pomegranate Medal in 2017.Shin Hong-sik mentioned, “Seo Jang-hoon is also a member of the Honor Society.” In 2017, Seo Jang-hoon donated 100 million won to help single-parent families and joined the Honor Society as the 1,452nd member.

Shin Hong-sik, who has been giving back his wealth to society for nearly 30 years, said humbly, “I’m just using what I have anyway.” Jonathan made a bombshell statement, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘don’ t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ‘but I want even your little toe to know,” causing laughter.Seo Jang-hoon added, “It might be a bit much to be overly showy, but we need to let others know about our good deeds so that they can participate.” Shin Hong-sik then said, “The flower of a capitalist society is donation and sharing.I want to fill the gaps of those in need.” Finally, when the production team asked, “Do you think you’re rich?” Shin Hong-sik answered, “No one is as rich in heart as I am,” touching the audience.

Next week, the episode featuring Lim Hyung-joo, the ‘pop opera tenor who moved the world’, will air.EBS and E Channel’s ‘Seo Jang-hoon’s Millionaire Next Door’ airs every Wednesday at 9:55 p.m.

Reporter Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.