Failure is not the end: Engineer's journey to seolleongtang success
Bae Han-sung, owner of Cheongpungok Seolleongtang, adds chopped green onions to a bowl of seolleongtang at his restaurant in Gangbuk District, Seoul, May 29. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin
After three failed startups, former corporate man reinvents himself as soup master, earns patent for cooking process
When asked what remark gives him the greatest satisfaction, Bae Han-sung, 51, owner of the seolleongtang restaurant Cheongpungok Seolleongtang in northern Seoul, said that the compliment he liked most to hear was that the taste was always the same.
Could a cook really prefer hearing that his food is consistent rather than delicious?
"Taste is subjective," Bae explained. "Even a famous restaurant may not appeal to everyone. But if customers say the food tastes the same every time they visit, that's something I can control. That makes me happy."
The way Bae talks about cooking resembles a scientist discussing an experiment. His background helps explain why.
Bae studied civil and environmental engineering and began his career at age 25 as an engineer at a construction company. He spent 15 years in the construction technology field, working for three different companies and climbing the corporate ladder. In 2015, however, he quit.
"I wanted to be in charge of my own work, even if it was on a small scale," he said. "At the company, my team could spend nights developing something, only for an executive to dismiss it with a single comment. After seeing that happen repeatedly, I wanted to hold the steering wheel myself."
Leaving a stable job was not an easy decision, especially with two young daughters. But his wife, who was also working at the time, encouraged him to pursue what he truly wanted to do.
The outside world proved far tougher than he expected.
His first business venture, an accessories company, failed. His second, a travel startup, also folded. The back-to-back failures took a heavy emotional toll. For about a year afterward, he survived by working days at a plastic manufacturing plant and nights at a dumpling factory to help support his family.
Bae Han-sung, owner of Cheongpungok Seolleongtang, speaks during an interview at his restaurant in Gangbuk District, Seoul, May 29. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin
His entry into the restaurant business came by chance.
An acquaintance asked whether he had ever considered running a restaurant, since they knew an owner of a Korean restaurant who was looking for a successor.
"I went to the library and read more than 50 books with words like 'restaurant,' 'business' and 'startup' in the title," he said.
He took over the restaurant and operated it for two years. Eventually, however, the landlord declined to renew the lease, forcing him to close.
Still, the experience convinced him that the restaurant business suited him.
For his next venture, he chose food service again — this time focusing on seolleongtang, a traditional Korean beef-bone soup. Rather than offering a wide variety of dishes, he wanted a restaurant built around a single specialty.
Bae spent about a year working as an employee at three established seolleongtang restaurants, learning the craft from experienced cooks.
That was when the engineer in him reemerged.
The veteran chefs relied largely on intuition rather than measurements or data.
"They would check the broth a few times with a ladle and say, 'It's ready now,'" Bae said. "But how was I supposed to know that? So I started recording data, writing down what was lacking and what needed improvement."
Those notes eventually led to a patented cooking process.
Cheongpungok Seolleongtang's signature soup is served with kimchi in Gangbuk District, Seoul, May 29. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-bin
Bae obtained a patent for a method of preparing seolleongtang broth more efficiently.
"Making beef bone broth requires a great deal of time and energy," he said. "My method maximizes efficiency and reduces cooking time. Patent details become publicly available after a certain period, and I hoped others could benefit from the work I put into organizing this knowledge."
He added that the patent may also have helped him secure government startup support funding when launching the restaurant.
The seolleongtang restaurant he opened in 2022 is now entering its fourth year. Word-of-mouth recommendations have brought a growing number of loyal customers.
Even so, Bae insists he still has a long way to go. Having experienced three failed businesses, he is careful not to be overly optimistic.
Looking back on the 11 years of setbacks and uncertainty since he left corporate life, filled with setbacks and uncertainty, how does he feel?
"I tell my daughters that life is like a book," he said. "A book becomes more interesting when it includes stories of failure, struggle and overcoming obstacles. Whenever something disappointing happens, I think, 'Well, there's another episode added to the story.'
"Failure hurts, but I never thought it was the end. I'm not going to stop after writing 10 chapters. There are always more pages ahead, and I can keep filling them."
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.