From snake catcher to CEO with 16 billion won in annual sales

The incredible life journey of a rural boy who survived by catching and selling snakes in the mountains—only to become a CEO leading a timber company with annual sales of up to 16 billion won and a national jet ski athlete—will be revealed.

On the episode of EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Millionaire Next Door' airing the afternoon of the 29th, the story of Kim Jin-won, a timber company representative and active jet ski athlete, is introduced.

Even as he approaches his 60s, Kim remains an active athlete competing on the world stage. During the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, he wrote a new chapter in his life by competing as a national jet ski athlete for the Republic of Korea.

During the broadcast, Seo Jang-hoon and Jang Ye-won cannot hide their astonishment upon seeing Kim's leisure equipment. At the pier, 11 jet skis and 7 boats were lined up, and Kim drew admiration by explaining, "The price of one jet ski is about 35 million won, and a boat costs over 100 million won."

The scale of his business is also significant. Having built his timber business over several decades, he currently records annual sales of up to 16 billion won, with the company storing timber worth approximately 10 billion won.

Kim is set to share insights into the timber industry, stating, "The value of wood varies greatly depending on the type."

However, behind his current success lies a childhood that is difficult to imagine.

Born as the eighth of ten siblings in a mountain village in Samcheok, Gangwon-do, he recalled living in an environment without electricity, relying on a single oil lamp.

Due to extreme financial hardship, he could not attend school properly and entered the workforce at the age of 12, following his father, who was a woodcutter.

He gathered wood from the mountains to sell and even caught snakes to earn money for survival.

Recalling those times, Kim calmly shared the hardships of his childhood, saying, "I sold venomous snakes for 300 won, small vipers for 500 won, and large vipers for 1,000 won."

There were also life-threatening moments.

He revealed that he once survived a near-fatal accident after being bitten by a viper, and the scars from that incident remain clearly visible on his body today.

Showing his scars, Kim became emotional, saying, "I lived such a difficult life that even now, I tear up when I talk about those days."

Kim Jin-won's turbulent life story, of overcoming poverty and adversity to achieve his dual dreams of being an entrepreneur and a national athlete, will be revealed through the broadcast.