Kang Seung-gi, the pioneer of the jewelry industry who created Korea's first lab-grown diamond, recounts the dramatic success story of hitting rock bottom with a single 30-carat diamond and then rebuilding to erect a 30 billion won building.
The episode of EBS's Seo Jang-hoon's Neighboring Millionaire airing tonight (25th) at 9:55 p.m. will reveal the tumultuous life story of Kang Seung-gi, who succeeded in developing Korea's first and the world's eighth lab-grown diamond. Lab-grown diamonds, called a modern-day alchemy, are diamonds artificially grown in a laboratory and have identical physical, chemical and optical properties to natural diamonds while costing about one-fifth the price, shaking up the domestic and international precious metals market. This episode will reveal every step of the process in detail, from the seed of a lab-grown diamond becoming a rough stone to precision cutting and polishing that completes a dazzling piece of jewelry.
Meanwhile, Kang Seung-gi reveals the shocking past when he stood at the edge of a cliff because of a single "30-carat diamond." After leaving the military and opening a jewelry store, he made a lot of money at a young age and, within five years of opening, entered Jongno, the mecca of precious metals, and prospered. Then he heard that "there is someone who wants to quietly sell a tremendously large diamond" and secretly went to the transaction. Captivated by the presence of the 30-carat diamond he saw for the first time in his life, he ultimately took out debt and made the decision to buy it for 400 million won. This diamond is the same size as the wedding ring of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, which drew attention for its massive size. But just two months later, an unexpected incident occurred and the 400 million won became a mountain of debt. Kang Seung-gi recalls, "I sold my house and my car to pay off the debt. When the business went well at a young age, I took making money too easily." The full story of the shocking incident that shook Kang Seung-gi's life will be revealed in the broadcast.
After that, Kang Seung-gi, after countless hardships, made a dramatic comeback, earning the nickname "one of the three ○s of the jewelry industry." In the early 2000s he recorded annual sales of more than 5 billion won and made a brilliant leap by building his first office in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul. Then one day an unexpected offer to buy the company came in, and he surprised the industry again by closing an unprecedented 8.9 billion won deal in which he handed over everything, from employees' job succession to even the cafeteria spoons. Riding on this large transaction, he went on to build a diamond building worth 30 billion won and dreamed of creating "Korea's Tiffany." The untold behind-the-scenes story of the legendary transaction Kang Seung-gi completed will also be revealed in the broadcast.
Meanwhile, in this episode the 40-year veteran jeweler Kang Seung-gi unveils his special collection, attracting attention. As dazzling gems appear one after another — a ruby ring with an intense red, a sapphire ring with a deep blue, and an emerald ring with a mysterious luster — Seo Jang-hoon and Jang Ye-won repeatedly express admiration. In particular, Jang Ye-won tries on a rose-gold crown and frankly says, "I'm not married yet, but I want to use it at my wedding," and Seo Jang-hoon, watching this, elicits laughter with a reaction as if his response mechanism is broken. At that moment Kang Seung-gi enigmatically says, "Among the gems I have obtained so far, there is one that is the largest and most precious," piquing everyone's curiosity.
[Photo] Seo Jang-hoon's Neighboring Millionaire
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