From US engineer to Hanok hotel founder: Ahn Young-hwan's 35-year journey

EBS's 'The Millionaire Next Door' shines a light on the life of Ahn Young-hwan, who transformed from a computer engineer in the United States to the operator of Korea's first Hanok hotel, highlighting his extraordinary obsession with traditional Hanok architecture.

In the program airing at 9:55 PM on the 8th, Ahn—the creator of Korea's first Hanok experience business and its first Hanok hotel—will appear to share his journey of connecting with Hanok and the story of how he has protected it for 35 years.

Ahn led a stable life working as a computer engineer in the United States during the 1980s, but he chose a new challenge and returned to Korea. After joining his father in the real estate development business, he heard from an acquaintance about plans to demolish an old Hanok to build a villa. Judging that it would be a waste to demolish a 150-year-old Hanok, he proposed a business utilizing the structure, which eventually led to him operating a Korean restaurant himself.

Upon hearing this story, Seo Jang-hoon asked, "If you were in real estate development, wouldn't it have been more profitable to demolish the Hanok and build a new building?" Ahn responded, "It is difficult to explain why I am drawn to it, but it pulls at my blood," revealing his deep affection for Hanok.

Even in the late 1990s, when old Hanoks were rapidly disappearing due to a development craze, he made a choice contrary to the trends of the time. He sold a commercial building he owned to purchase an old Hanok in Bukchon, and despite his family's opposition, he invested two years in restoration work to preserve its original form as much as possible. This experience became the starting point for his dream of building a Hanok hotel.

Later, after 15 years of construction, Ahn completed a Hanok hotel consisting of 22 buildings on a site of approximately 5,000 pyeong. Regarding the construction costs, he surprised everyone by revealing, "Along with the money earned from running the Korean restaurant, I secured the lacking funds by selling a building I owned in Myeong-dong."

This Hanok hotel also drew attention as the venue where the Korean and Japanese leaders held a dinner and traditional performance during the summit held this May.

The broadcast will also reveal stories of the antique artworks Ahn has collected over the past 30 years. Throughout the hotel, cultural heritage-level antiques such as handwritten works by Yulgok Yi I and Uam Song Si-yeol, as well as white porcelain and antique furniture, are on display. He shared his management philosophy, saying, "I wanted to offer an experience that goes beyond just staying overnight, making guests feel as if they are spending a day in a museum."

His daily life, which includes sleeping in a 150-year-old bed and drinking tea from a 500-year-old antique cup, will also be introduced. He stated his personal belief, "Antique artworks should not just be displayed; they should be used together in daily life."

However, he also experienced a tragedy where 1,100 pieces of antique artworks, which he had collected with affection over many years, vanished in a fire in an instant. Recalling that time, Ahn could not hold back his emotions, saying, "It would have been better if it were money that burned instead...", and he is expected to reveal the pain and guilt of that day on the program for the first time.