Koreatown’s business community is becoming noticeably younger. As the number of entrepreneurs in their 30s increases, they are bringing new energy to the community and attracting other members of their generation. Many of them are fluent in both Korean and English, offering hope that Korean businesses can overcome one of their greatest weaknesses—their limited ability to reach the mainstream market. To welcome the once-in-a-lifetime New Year of 2004, we interviewed business owners in their 30s who are pursuing their own ‘success stories,’ with youthful determination and an unwillingness to give up as their greatest assets.

Se-ho Eom(36) is the CEO of ‘OZONE,’ one of the leading Korean advertising agencies. Despite his young age, he operates a company considered among the five largest of the approximately 200 Korean businesses in the industry.

The company’s clients include major Korean corporations such as Korean Air, LG InfoComm, and Pulmuone, as well as leading mainstream companies including US Bank, the eighth-largest bank in the United States, LA Galaxy, and AMC Theatres. Its services cover a broad range of work, including print materials, radio and TV commercials, video advertising, and billboards.

OZONE’s greatest strength is its expertise not only in advertising production and media placement but also in research and presentations, which are essential for developing advertising strategies. Eom said, “My dream is to develop the company into a professional marketing research firm capable of targeting other niche markets, including the Hispanic community, beyond the Asian market.”

Eom moved to the United States at the age of 22. After graduating from college, he worked as an intermediary in the metal trade between Eastern Europe and Korea. He later worked for a cultural events company, where he developed a serious interest in advertising. He subsequently served as branch manager of the animation production company AniMagic before founding OZONE in 1999, only four years ago.
“To remove emotion as much as possible and make objective decisions, I conduct written meetings with employees through an internet messenger,” Eom said, revealing a fresh approach that distinguishes him from the older generation.

Calvin Lee(34), CEO of the real estate company ‘Promax Commercial,’ is a successful real estate professional who brokers investment property transactions for major Korean, Jewish, and White investors. The knowledge he acquired while majoring in real estate finance at USC, together with solid practical experience at prominent American real estate firms such as Marcus & Millichap and RE/MAX on the Boulevard, provided the foundation for his growth.
As an expert who understands the appropriate timing for investment, he has also invested successfully in apartment properties and efficiently increased his own assets, earning the trust of his clients.

Lee acquired ‘Cafe Americano’ last February after Promax became involved in managing the shopping center where it was located. The café attracted attention by offering free coffee on October 3, National Foundation Day. He explained, “I wanted to introduce all our customers to the founding principle of our homeland, ‘Hongik Ingan,’ which means benefiting all humanity.” A member of the 1.5 generation who immigrated at the age of 12, Lee also has a distinctive business management style. One example is his decision to hire Black employees, creating an atmosphere in which customers of other ethnicities can also feel comfortable. He is currently researching opportunities to franchise the coffee shop.
Lee displayed considerable entrepreneurial talent from an early age. He took time away from his studies to pursue businesses such as silk-screen printing and consequently graduated from college after nine years.

Jung-heum Park(30), who operates the ‘Andorra’ coffee shop on Wilshire Boulevard, manages more than 20 businesses under the banner of the ‘Simple Touch Group.’ These include five ‘Andorra Cafe’ locations, including one scheduled to complete escrow this month; Gage Market in South Central; four mobile phone stores operating under the ‘Simple Touch’ name; a computer store; a wedding business; a design company; a law office; and a bail bonds company.

Park, an unmarried business owner who turned 30 last month, explained why he entered so many different industries: “When I needed an attorney for business matters, instead of paying a large legal fee, I established a law firm. I continued expanding in that way, entering related fields based on my experience, and the number of businesses naturally increased.”

Park moved to the United States during his first year of college. Because the April 29 riots had just occurred and jobs were scarce, he began his life in America as a box boy at a Korean market. However, his exceptional intelligence and ability were quickly recognized, and he became a manager in only eight months. He continued advancing and opened his own food wholesale company in 1996. “Because the economy has not fully recovered and business premiums remain low, now is an opportunity to acquire businesses in outlying areas at affordable prices,” he said. He is expanding his investments into areas such as Little Tokyo.

David Hong and James Noh, co-owners of ‘Duru Production,’ are both 30 years old. The two met at church and founded the company together last fall based on their shared faith. The company specializes in producing TV commercials, music videos, and wedding videos.

Because they started without significant capital, using cameras and editing equipment from their freelance work, it would be a serious mistake to assume they were amateurs who entered the industry accidentally after filming friends’ weddings. Hong and Noh studied video, film, and product design at institutions including the Art Institute of Seattle, Pasadena Art School, and a university in the United Kingdom. Their polished and professional work has earned positive responses from clients.

At a time when the Korean advertising market has contracted considerably, Duru is actively developing new areas of business, including wedding videos, live broadcasting, and the filming of plays, seminars, and recitals. Their youth sometimes causes clients to worry unnecessarily about whether they can be trusted with important projects. However, they remain unconcerned, saying, “True ability is determined by the final result,” and approach their work with creative ideas.

They emphasized, “Because we are not in our 40s or 50s, we are not afraid of failure. We will boldly expand our business with the belief that we can always begin again.”

peterkim@koreatimes.com