The big-hearted generosity and determined journey of "farmer millionaire" Kim Ho-Youn, who freely shares agricultural technology with local farmers and is pioneering the future of Korean agriculture, delivered deep emotion to living rooms.
On the Oct. 10 broadcast of EBS Seo Jang-hoon's Neighboring Millionaire (hereafter Neighboring Millionaire), the turbulent life story of "the farmer who became a 100-billion-won rich man from a single tomato," Kim Ho-Youn, unfolded. Kim Ho-Youn is an authority in South Korea on "smart farm" technology that automatically measures·controls the agricultural environment, and through this he cultivates tomatoes and salad vegetables with annual sales of 75 billion won. In 2023 he succeeded in the first KOSDAQ listing in the agricultural sector, creating the legend of a 100 billion won corporate value. In that episode, Kim Ho-Youn's 50,000-pyeong glass greenhouse, the largest in the country, was revealed for the first time. Tomatoes grown in the air without soil and ultra-precise high-tech farming methods in which every element is operated by data were unveiled, capturing viewers' attention. Additionally, it was revealed that Kim Ho-Youn developed "stevia tomatoes," making him the protagonist who opened a new paradigm in the tomato market, adding to the surprise.
At the young age of 24, Kim Ho-Youn became a father and, to support his family, risked his life to get a job as a stoneworker in a mine. Later he bought a truck and traveled the country doing wholesale produce trading. There was a movie-like moment when he made 1.6 billion won in 40 days from a spike in napa cabbage prices, but grueling days followed in which he drove up to 22 hours a day. Eventually, with all his assets at 3 million won he rented a vinyl greenhouse and threw himself into farming, but he suffered repeated failures from natural disasters such as heavy rain·typhoons·heavy snow. In 2012, with a growing desire for stable income, he was shocked when he encountered smart farm technology capable of revolutionary yields during a 15-day short training in the Netherlands he attended by chance. He spent tens of millions of won traveling to and from the Netherlands to learn the technology, and after bank loans and reinvesting all his earnings, he established the first smart farm in South Chungcheong Province. Now he has risen to a world-class level to the point that the origin country, the Netherlands, comes to learn from him.
Even so, Kim Ho-Youn's lifestyle is one of no consumption. He considers hobbies a luxury and still uses a bag he received when buying a car. Meanwhile, his luxury car Bentley caught the attention of Seo Jang-hoon and Jang Ye-won. Kim Ho-Youn said, "I wanted to show that you can succeed through farming," explaining a philosophical reason for his purchase and leaving a deep impression. Even more astonishing is his generosity. He passes on smart farm know-how to young people and even provides funds to promising farms, serving as a partner for future agriculture. On this, Kim Ho-Youn said, "Agriculture can generate much greater added value than manufacturing, but we are missing this," showing his affection for agriculture and action toward the future. Seo Jang-hoon said, "Just because opportunity comes doesn't mean anyone can seize it. The ability to tenaciously dig into that opportunity and make it your own is truly remarkable," and could not hide his admiration.
[photo] EBS Seo Jang-hoon's Neighboring Millionaire broadcast capture
[OSEN]