Park Mi-hee: From housekeeper for Chairman Kim Woo-jung to building a 50 billion won kimchi empire

CEO Park Mi-hee, who built a *kimchi* business with annual sales of approximately 50 billion won, will reveal her past working as a housekeeper at the residence of the late Kim Woo-jung, former chairman of Daewoo Group. The life journey of a girl who left Jeju Island alone at the age of 16 to enter the workforce, eventually rising to the status of a food processing master and a *kimchi* master, will be unveiled.

In the episode of KBS2's 'Boss in the Mirror' airing at 4:40 PM on the 23rd, the life and business story of Park, a food processing master and croaker *kimchi* master, will be introduced.

Following her selection as a food processing master in 2024, Park was named the 98th *kimchi* master for her croaker *kimchi* in 2025. While she currently records annual sales of approximately 50 billion won through her *kimchi* business, her success did not begin in a stable environment.

During the broadcast, she confesses, "I came to Seoul alone from Jeju Island at the age of 16." Her first job was in the kitchen of a textile factory, and she later formed a serious connection with food while working as a housekeeper at the residence of the late Chairman Kim.

Despite her young age, she was diligent and capable enough to manage the household of a prominent family, and she began to make a name for herself through her unique culinary skills and work ethic. Park recalled, "Because I worked so well, I became known among chairmen as 'Miss Park of Itaewon.'"

Hearing this, Kim Sook expressed her amazement, asking, "How well must you have worked at such a young age for rumors to spread like that?" Given that her early work experience and culinary sense formed the foundation for her future as an entrepreneur, her success is seen as more than just self-made; it is the result of life skills and craftsmanship accumulated over a long period.

The broadcast will also reveal the croaker *kimchi* recipe that elevated Park to the position of *kimchi* master. While she introduces her secret recipe relatively freely, she shows strong confidence regarding her "hand taste" (son-mat).

When concerns were raised that revealing core recipes might allow competitors to imitate her, Park emphasized, "Even if you have the recipe, do you think you can follow it exactly?" adding, "You can never replicate my hand taste."

This moment demonstrates her philosophy that in the food industry, it is difficult to fully reproduce the taste of a master through written knowledge like a recipe alone. This is because, even with the same ingredients and cooking methods, the results can vary depending on the sense and proficiency in handling ingredients and experience with the fermentation process.

The story of Park Mi-hee—a girl who left her family at 16 to come to Seoul alone, became known as 'Miss Park of Itaewon' after serving as a housekeeper at a major conglomerate chairman's residence, and ultimately grew into a food processing master, a *kimchi* master, and an entrepreneur with 50 billion won in annual sales—will be revealed in the broadcast on the 23rd.