'The country's only cheonggukjang master' Seo Bun-rye, who once was a Gangnam building owner and now lives as the 'cheonggukjang grandmother,' through her life story made us once again ask what true abundance is beyond outward splendor.
On the 18th broadcast, EBS' Seo Jang-hoon's My Neighbor the Millionaire unfolded the dramatic life story of Korea Food Master No. 62, 'cheonggukjang grandmother' Seo Bun-rye, who preserves a traditional flavor passed down for generations. In particular, Seo Bun-rye drew attention as the sole holder of the 'cheonggukjang master' title in the country and as the person who achieved the annual sales miracle of 10 billion won. The broadcast revealed in detail the special know-how behind Seo Bun-rye's jang flavor and the entire process of creating the 'master-branded cheonggukjang.' Seo Bun-rye pointed to the 'cultures' born through perfect temperature and moisture control in a hinoki cypress fermentation room as the secret to cheonggukjang that has no off-smell. After tasting the cheonggukjang stew Seo Bun-rye had personally cooked, Seo Jang-hoon said,
The broadcast attracted interest in Seo Bun-rye's glamorous past. In the 1990s she earned 10 billion won from a travel agency business and enjoyed a dazzling heyday, even constructing an 11-story building in the heart of Gangnam. But just two years after the building was completed, the IMF foreign exchange crisis struck and she was saddled with enormous debt. She ultimately sold the building, once a symbol of success and valued at 12 billion won, for 4.3 billion won, settled all debts, and went down to Anseong with the remaining 30 million won to start soybean farming.
Afterward, Seo Bun-rye began making doenjang from soybeans she cultivated herself and sharing it with neighbors. People's simple words that it was 'delicious' lifted her out of despair, and her distinct deep jang flavor spread by word of mouth. Eventually famous as the 'doenjang doctor,' Seo Bun-rye led the successful establishment of a doenjang factory in North Korea in 2006 at the official request of North Korea, and was honored by being introduced in newspapers there as the 'doenjang mother.'
The program also highlighted Seo Bun-rye's life of sharing that she has continued for 51 years since her 30s. She recalled the humility learned through volunteering, saying,
Next week will feature the episode about Park Se-hoon, 'the chairman who built a 200 billion won silver town in Gangnam.' EBS' Seo Jang-hoon's My Neighbor the Millionaire airs every Wednesday at 9:55 p.m., and after broadcast it is also available on OTTs such as Netflix and Wavve.
[Photo] 'Seo Jang-hoon's My Neighbor the Millionaire'
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