Chungju Man Kim Suntae: 'I sold my house to go all-in on Samsung Electronics'

Kim Suntae, who gained nationwide fame as 'Chungju Man' after successfully launching the official YouTube channel for Chungju City and subsequently leaving public office to become a creator, has candidly revealed his past experience investing in Samsung Electronics. He confessed that he went as far as selling his house to essentially 'go all-in' on the investment, but was unable to endure a prolonged period of sideways trading and sold his shares, ultimately missing out on massive opportunity costs as the price surged significantly afterward.

During an interview on the KBS YouTube channel 'KBS Enter' released on the 23rd, Kim spoke openly about his investment experience while discussing his role as the host of the new web variety show 'Don-Suntae's Era of Success.'

"I held 1,000 shares of Samsung Electronics," he joked, adding, "With that amount, wouldn't I be considered a major shareholder?" He then revealed, "I even sold my house and lived in a monthly rental to go 'all-in' on Samsung Electronics stock."

He added, "My average purchase price was around 58,000 won."

When the production crew asked when he sold, Kim replied, "I sold everything exactly at 62,000 won."

As the crew could not hide their disappointment, he explained the situation at the time.

"Many people might not remember, but at that time, the Samsung Electronics stock price stayed in the 60,000 won range for a very long time," Kim recalled. "Because there was no significant movement for over two years, I felt so frustrated and angry."

He further confessed, "Watching domestic companies continuously undergo split listings, I even thought, 'This is why the domestic stock market can't succeed.' I felt as if something was preventing the stock price from rising, so I eventually liquidated everything."

This serves as an example of the 'psychological fatigue' frequently experienced by individual investors. In a prolonged sideways market, it is not uncommon for investors to sell without waiting for profit opportunities, often experiencing significant opportunity costs when the stock price subsequently skyrockets.

In fact, Kim had previously appeared on another broadcast program in October 2022 and disclosed his stock account. At that time, the account contained major Korean blue-chip stocks such as Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, Naver, and Kakao.

From a current perspective, his choice remains a matter of regret.

As of the 24th, Samsung Electronics' stock price is in the 250,000 won range. By simple calculation, if he had continued to hold the 1,000 shares he owned at the time, the estimated valuation profit alone compared to the purchase price would have reached over 200 million won. Of course, this is a simple comparison based on the current stock price, and actual investment performance may vary depending on the timing of transactions, taxes, and transaction costs.

During his tenure at Chungju City Hall, Kim built the 'Chungju Man' persona by planning and operating an official YouTube channel that is considered one of the most successful cases among local governments nationwide. He is credited with presenting a new model for local government promotion through witty content and friendly communication that broke the mold of traditional public institution PR.

Having retired from public office this year, he is currently operating a personal YouTube channel and active in various fields, including corporate promotion and variety content production. He is gaining significant empathy by honestly sharing realistic workplace stories, behind-the-scenes production details, and even his investment failures.

The KBS web variety show 'Don-Suntae's Era of Success,' hosted by Kim, is scheduled to premiere on the 29th. The program aims to engage viewers by explaining various economic and wealth management topics in an easy and entertaining manner.