Kim So Young to close 7 billion won book club

Broadcaster and entrepreneur Kim So Young is winding down 'Book Factory Book Club,' a book subscription service she has operated for approximately six years. Following her recent decision to close her cookie business, interest is mounting as to whether she is undergoing a strategic pivot as an entrepreneur by closing yet another venture.

On the 4th, Kim announced via her SNS, "We have decided to terminate the Book Factory Book Club service, with the October 2026 subscription being the final one."

Book Factory Book Club launched in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As face-to-face activities were restricted and bookstore operations faced difficulties, Kim sought ways to deliver quality books to readers without meeting them in person, leading to the creation of a subscription service that regularly curates and sends books.

Kim explained that there was no single specific reason for deciding to end the service. "With various changes in the market environment and internal circumstances overlapping, the time to close the book club was approaching," she stated, noting it was a decision she had contemplated for a long time.

She also confessed that sharing the news with readers was not easy. "I felt so much regret about stopping this service that it was hard to bring myself to speak, which is why the news is being shared late," she said. "While this is something I have pondered for a long time, I am worried that it might come as sudden news to our members."

The six-year period holds more meaning than just a duration of business operation. Having started in the unique environment of COVID-19, the book club established itself as a community-based service that went beyond merely selling books to sharing tastes with readers. It is interpreted that the reason Kim hesitated to end the service for so long was due to the emotional connections built with readers, which are difficult to explain through profit and loss alone.

Recently, she also withdrew from the food business. While wrapping up her cookie business, Kim explained, "Even with high sales, we were in the red." She noted that the process of carefully and slowly producing products led to significant labor and raw material costs, and because she used high-quality ingredients, there was insufficient profit even as sales increased.

She hinted that she would not engage in businesses involving direct food production in the future, stating, "I believe there is no substitute. It was because there was truly nothing left over."

Ultimately, her recent moves can be viewed as a process of reorganizing her business structure rather than a simple downsizing. While she expanded from brand businesses centered on content and taste to the food sector requiring direct production, each business faced changes in market environment and cost structures, making a focus on core strengths inevitable.

Kim is a figure who transitioned into an entrepreneur after leaving a stable broadcasting career as an MBC announcer. After joining MBC in 2012, she resigned in 2017 and has since expanded her business scope into bookstores, content, and food while building her own brand. She married fellow former announcer Oh Sang-jin in 2016, and the couple has children.

In particular, she recently drew attention again as an entrepreneur by attracting an investment of approximately 7 billion won from a prominent investment firm. While securing large-scale investment does not immediately signify the success of individual businesses, it is meaningful that Kim's brand and potential for expansion were recognized externally.

In that context, closing the book club and the food business in succession after six years is an unexpected move. However, Kim distanced herself from the idea of giving up on business altogether. While closing the book club, she stated, "I will return to being a person who shares the books I am reading as a single reader."

This implies that while the business model is changing, she has not abandoned the fundamental goal of connecting with people through books. Attention is now focused on how Kim will reorganize her brand through this latest choice.