[Sportschosun Lee Woo-joo] 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Neighbor' will spotlight the success formula of Shin Sang-soo, who built a 'wedding empire' with annual sales of up to 50 billion won, starting from a tiny 25-pyeong office. The program will also reveal the heartbreaking story behind the Sampoong Department Store collapse that completely changed his life.
Shin Sang-soo, the 'wedding millionaire' who has helped 50,000 couples celebrate their weddings over the past 30 years, will appear on EBS's 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Neighbor,' which airs at 9:55 p.m. on the 22nd. In the episode, he will candidly share not only the success story he built through extraordinary determination and sharp business instincts, but also the ups and downs of his life. In 1996, Shin took his first step into the wedding business from a small 25-pyeong office on the top floor of a six-story building. Hearing that, Seo Jang-hoon wondered, "Don't most wedding shops operate on the first or second floor? Do people really go up to the sixth floor?" Shin answered without hesitation that he was confident. As he recalled the beginning of his success story, he said that confidence paid off. Within just two to three months after starting the business, Shin's company grew rapidly. On weekends, customers lined up in front of the office to wait their turn. He said that about 5,000 couples got married each year in Anyang, Gunpo, Uiwang, and Gwacheon at the time, and his company handled about 2,000 of them.
Shin introduced a groundbreaking service for the time by creating a 'wedding total care program' that handled makeup, wedding photography, honeymoon arrangements, furniture, hanbok, and wedding gifts all at once. Looking back, he said, "It was basically the role of today's wedding planner." His unconventional idea led to business expansion. After acquiring a famous wedding hall in Gangnam in 2010, he expanded his wedding venues to seven locations and also operated three wedding dress shops, entering a peak period with annual sales of up to 50 billion won. At the time, he had 200 employees, and during the busy wedding season he hired as many as 1,000 part-time workers. Today, beyond wedding dresses, he also provides award-show dresses for some of South Korea's leading actresses, including Jung Eun-chae, Kim Ji-won, Park Ji-hyun, Jang Yoon-ju, and Cho Yeo-jeong. The broadcast will reveal Shin's unique sales strategy, which took him from a small 25-pyeong office to a leading figure in Korea's wedding industry and kept customers lining up outside his door.
He did not start out in the wedding business. After completing his military service, Shin got his first job at an insurance company and began his career there. Within two years, he rose to No. 1 in sales performance and earned the title of 'Insurance King.' His fast-rising life took an unexpected turn in 1995, when the Sampoong Department Store collapse changed everything. Shin recalled, "I usually worked at the department store until around 6 or 7 p.m., but that day was closing day, so I left the building earlier than usual, around 4 p.m." Just two hours later, he heard the tragic news that the Sampoong Department Store had collapsed. He narrowly escaped with his life, but said, "After that, I always had nightmares and suffered from guilt," revealing the psychological scars that haunted him after the disaster. What exactly happened to Shin Sang-soo? The tragic story of that day, which completely changed his values and direction in life, will be revealed on Wednesday, July 22, at 9:55 p.m. on EBS's 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Neighbor.'
wjlee@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
