‘Baseball’s living legend ‘Kim Byung-hyun appeared on’ Living Report ‘and revealed his ambitions to advance into overseas markets.

On the 4th episode of MBN /MBC Dramanet entertainment show’ Living Report ‘on the 16th, Kim Byung-hyun, who is currently playing the role of a’ burger shop owner ‘in’ Major Leaguer ‘, appeared as a’ client to live with ‘and asked for a’ custom guide ‘for overseas business.On this day, Lee Ji-hye and Jay B summoned’ living guides ‘from Taiwan and Cambodia respectively and had a fierce battle, and as a result, Kim Byung-hyun chose Taiwan, giving Lee Ji-hye two consecutive wins.

When Kim Byung-hyun appeared in the studio, Jay Sean gave a warm welcome and mentioned his legendary record, saying, “I still remember his cumulative annual salary of 23.7 billion won.” Kim Byung-hyun laughed cheerfully, saying, “It’s still an unbroken record for an amateur annual salary.” Lee Ji-hye asked, “Then how much of the 23.7 billion won are you budgeting for?” and he answered specifically, “A meat restaurant would be 500 to 1 billion won, and a fast food restaurant would be 100 to 200 million won.” Lee Ji-hye then recommended Taiwan, the “Silicon Valley of Asia,” as a place to expand overseas.Kim Byung-hyun showed deep interest, saying, “We recently opened a hamburger restaurant in an area with a high concentration of office workers.”

Following Lee Ji-hye’s introduction, Ho Woo-young, who has lived in Taiwan for 8 years, appeared as a ‘living guide’ and analyzed the Taipei food market.First, they headed to the Taipei Dome, the landmark of Taiwanese baseball, to see former baseball player Kim Byung-hyun.An American tourist they met there by chance answered Ho Woo-young’s question, “Do you know Kim Byung-hyun?” with “Yes,” making Kim Byung-hyun proud.Ho Woo-young then introduced popular local foods such as ji-pai(fried chicken), fried milk, and bai-tang-guo(sugar twists), saying, “Due to the hot and humid weather in Taiwan, fried foods have developed.” He especially surprised everyone by adding that a Korean chicken brand recorded 100 million won in sales in a week.He also introduced the hot food trends these days at the ‘Linjiang Street Night Market’, a popular spot for locals, by showing skewers, mu-guani-unai(papaya milk), and tang-yuan-bing(rice cake shaved ice).

The vivid stories of successful Korean entrepreneurs in Taiwan also caught everyone’s attention.Ho Woo-young first visited Taipei snack shops and learned that the strategy of selling desserts together, menus that consider vegetarian customers, and the introduction of efficient kimbap rolling machines were the keys to success.In addition, the meat restaurant run by a Taichung couple captivated Kim Byung-hyun by making a huge hit thanks to thorough market research and preparation.The pork soup restaurant that had only been open for two months also left a strong impression, captivating the taste buds of locals.

During the break, Lee Ji-hye asked Kim Byung-hyun, “Which of the three MC would you like to do business with?” Kim Byung-hyun chose Kim Sung-joo, who has capital, over the trendy Jay Sean and the talented Lee Ji-hye.Lee Ji-hye responded, “Actually, I also want to do business with Kim Sung-joo,” causing an explosion of laughter.Amidst the delightful chemistry, Ho Woo-young also introduced her real local life by revealing her 40-square-foot studio apartment.In response to Ho Woo-young’s explanation that “there are many houses without kitchens because people don’t cook much at home,” Lee Ji-hye responded, “On the other hand, Taiwan is perfect for the food service industry because the eating out and delivery cultures are developed!”

Next up, Jayson introduced Cambodia, which has emerged as a ‘kingdom of opportunity’ thanks to the rapid growth of the tourism industry.Hwang Hu-in, who runs a cafe and is also a local singer, appeared as a ‘living guide’ and introduced a 17-year-old traditional handmade burger restaurant that was tailored to Kim Byung-hyun’s taste.Afterwards, they headed to ‘Conorea Night Market’ to explore popular local foods and found a store selling Korean-style tteokbokki.Hwang Hu-in tasted the food and said, “It’s very similar to Korean tteokbokki,” proving the popularity of Korean spicy flavors that have captured the taste buds of Cambodia as well.

Furthermore, Empress In visited Korean restaurants that have successfully established themselves in Cambodia and asked about their secrets to success.In restaurants run by Korean owners, jjajangmyeon and fried rice cost 8,000 won, samseon jjambbong costs 11,000 won, and chicken costs 26,000 won, which is similar to or even more expensive than in Korea.Jay Sean explained, “Korean food is considered high-end in Cambodia, so the prices are generally high.” On the other hand, labor costs were low, with employees ‘monthly salaries at around 290,000 won, which Kim Sung Joo showed great interest in, saying, “Isn’ t this business much more profitable than in Korea?”

In addition to the restaurant business, Empress In also surprisingly revealed her parents ‘handmade furniture factory that she has been running for 12 years.Kim Byung-hyun’s eyes lit up when he heard his parents ‘story about how they are making enough money to send their children to American universities that cost 100 million won a year.Furthermore, when he told them that the three-story mansion with a bathroom in each room, allowing for separation of households, costs 1 million won a month, everyone was speechless.After the introduction of the two countries, Kim Byung-hyun said, “Since they have the baseball infrastructure, wouldn’ t it be okay to say ‘Former Major Leaguer’s Burger Shop ‘?” and ultimately chose Taiwan.However, when Kim Sung-joo, who had been sending love calls for business partnerships throughout the broadcast, showed a preference for Cambodia, Kim Byung-hyun showed his regret by saying, “Then should I change it again?” and made everyone laugh until the end.

MBN · MBC Dramanet’s ‘Living Report’ airs every Wednesday at 10:20 PM.

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.