Comedian Lee Bong-won revealed his success story with his Jjamppong restaurant.
On the 13th, a video titled 'The Life of a Married Man Lee Bong-won Who Can Do Anything He Wants' was posted on the YouTube channel 'Jo Dongari'.
In the video, Ji Seok-jin said to guest Lee Bong-won, "I heard rumors that your Jjamppong restaurant is doing great these days," to which Lee Bong-won replied, "If I hadn't sold Jjamppong while I wasn't active in broadcasting, I would have probably become a recluse. Jjamppong is the turning point in my life."
He went on to mention his various business experiences, including entertainment and academy operations, saying, "People should do what they want to do. Looking back, all the businesses I did were not things I truly wanted to do." In contrast, he emphasized his passion for Jjamppong, saying, "Since I love drinking, I am crazy about Jjamppong, which is great for hangovers."
Hearing this, Kim Yong-man couldn't hold back his laughter and revealed, "I went to your acting academy and your BBQ restaurant, and you said back then, 'This is really what I love,'" which made everyone laugh. Lee Bong-won responded, "I did like the BBQ restaurant, but that was actually my ex-wife's (Park Mi-sun) business," and added, "At that time, the price of meat suddenly skyrocketed, and I couldn't keep up with the costs, so I closed it after a year."
Lee Bong-won then candidly shared how he learned recipes from a Chinese restaurant he frequented. He said, "I went to a Chinese restaurant run by three sisters and said I would come to serve to learn the recipes, and I showed up the next day. But the eldest sister told me, 'Just go home.' So I thought, 'What the heck,' and just started serving," recounting the situation. He added, "After about two weeks, they recognized my sincerity and showed me the secret recipes," and noted, "When I actually learned, the recipes themselves weren't anything special; it was just that I didn't know the timing for mixing the Jjamppong ingredients."
Lee Bong-won also shared how he ended up opening a Jjamppong restaurant in Cheonan at the suggestion of a junior. He said, "I have no connections in Cheonan. One day, I went to Cheonan for fun, and a junior introduced me to a store, and I ended up starting a Jjamppong restaurant there by chance." Initially, business was good, but as time went on and customers decreased, he took on the cooking himself to save on labor costs. Lee Bong-won said, "I cooked for three months, and on some days, I stir-fried up to 500 bowls of Jjamppong," and added, "Later, when I tried to sleep, my arms would tremble and wouldn't stop. When I asked my younger siblings who run Chinese restaurants, they said, 'Hyung, it will be like that for two months.'
Lee Bong-won also revealed that he underwent disc surgery due to the hard labor. He confessed, "I originally had back problems, but after standing all day and working with the wok, my disc ruptured, and I had to have surgery." Kim Yong-man expressed sympathy, saying, "Hyung, that must have been really tough," and Ji Seok-jin jokingly asked, "Did you tell your wife (Park Mi-sun) in advance about the disc surgery?" to which Lee Bong-won replied, "I told her two days before," causing everyone to laugh.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
