‘Millionaire natural person’ Lee Hyun-sam has revealed that the reason he gave up his successful company with an annual sales of 200 billion won was due to an ‘unknown illness’.
On the 23rd, in the EBS and E Channel co-produced show ‘Seo Jang-hoon’s Neighbor Millionaire’ (hereinafter ‘Neighbor Millionaire’), Lee Hyun-sam, known as the ‘living legend of kitchenware’ for developing the world’s first double-sided frying pan and surpassing 200 billion won in annual sales, appeared.
Despite his business success, Lee Hyun-sam's health deteriorated in 2016, leading him to sell his company for 1.8 trillion won and retreat to the mountains. Through ‘Neighbor Millionaire’, he emphasized the values that are more important than money in life and shared his happy life as a natural person living in the mountains.
After graduating from high school, Lee Hyun-sam sold toast pans while traveling through markets across the country. Although he was shy, the desperation of “If I fail, I have to go back to my hometown” motivated him. After relentless effort, he earned a significant amount of 1.5 billion won in his early 30s, which was enough to buy five apartments in Gangnam, Seoul, based on 1990s prices.
Later, inspired by a fish-shaped bread machine, Lee Hyun-sam began developing a double-sided frying pan with the concept of ‘crispy on the outside, moist on the inside’. After two years of development filled with failures, the double-sided frying pan became an instant hit upon its release. He appeared on home shopping channels over 20 to 30 times a month to sell the product, and based on the solid skills he honed during his past as a street vendor, he finally transformed into the ‘God of Business’.
However, his health gradually worsened to the point where he wore thermal underwear even in the summer and had to wear leather gloves due to cold hands. Lee Hyun-sam recalled, “Even when I went to large hospitals, there was no diagnosis. I was living faster than others, but I was dying faster too.” Ultimately, he had no choice but to give up his precious company, to which he had devoted 18 years of his life, in the face of death.
Afterward, while in the mountains of Gangwon-do, Lee Hyun-sam accidentally spent a night in a heated room and experienced a turning point in his life. He stated, “I didn’t take any tranquilizers or sleeping pills, but I slept so well,” and revealed that this experience led him to live in nature. He introduced the enormous house he occupies on 30,000 pyeong of land, not as a luxury foreign car, but as the ‘real treasure’ that restored his health, consisting of buried ingredients like kimchi, cabbage, radish, and cabbage.
He also shared his unique philosophy about money. Lee Hyun-sam said, “When I first started my business, I just hoped to earn 3 million won. However, I gradually began to desire more money.” He reflected on his experience, stating, “Human greed knows no bounds.” Finally, he emphasized, “If you only focus on money, you will lose a lot. I almost lived a poor life despite becoming rich. It is essential to think about what is truly valuable in life.”
Meanwhile, ‘Seo Jang-hoon’s Neighbor Millionaire’ airs every Wednesday at 9:55 PM.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
