Go Kyung-pyo “Couldn't Release 2 Films—Ruined a Restaurant”: The Struggles of an Entrepreneur

Actor Go Kyung-pyo candidly shared his experience of business failure. His restaurant business ended in failure, and although he has been running his own production company for over three years, he has yet to release two feature films in theaters. Highlighting the reality that creating a work does not guarantee the opportunity to meet an audience, Go Kyung-pyo publicly appealed to distributors for help. The struggles of an entrepreneur hidden behind the glamorous image of a star were fully revealed.

On the 10th, a video titled 'The Deduction Game is an Excuse' was released on the YouTube channel 'DdeunDdeun'. During the conversation, BIBI revealed that she once dreamed of a trade business. However, she explained that she could not put that dream into action because, realistically, basic capital was required to start a business. Hearing this, Go Kyung-pyo gave BIBI unexpected advice. He spoke firmly, saying, "I'm saying this because I'm worried, but even though you have the funds now, do not start a business."

Yoo Jae-suk burst into laughter and introduced Go Kyung-pyo as someone with significant business experience. In fact, Go Kyung-pyo revealed that he has been running a restaurant and a production company. He confessed, "I completely ruined the restaurant, and I am working hard to make up for it while running the production company." It was advice born from his experience of challenging a business. The atmosphere on set turned into laughter and empathy at the confession that the actor, familiar to the public through his acting activities, faced a harsh reality in business.

Go Kyung-pyo repeatedly emphasized to BIBI, "So, when you have money, save it well. Do financial technology. Don't do anything else. Keep that in mind." He conveyed through his own experience that starting a business can be followed by unexpected costs and operational burdens. Of course, his words were mixed with his characteristic exaggerated speech and humor, but they also carried a heavy sense of reality as advice from someone who had directly started a business and experienced difficulties.

Go Kyung-pyo's concerns did not stop at the failure of the restaurant business. He revealed that although he has been running a production company for over three years, two feature films he produced have not yet been released in theaters. He is experiencing the realistic difficulties of a production company in that completing a work is not the end; it must lead to investment, distribution, and securing screening venues to meet the audience. While a significant amount of time and cost is invested in making a single film, if the release is delayed, the opportunity to confirm its results is inevitably postponed.

Go Kyung-pyo also made a direct appeal to distributors. He said, "To the distributors. Even if the film genre does not suit your taste, please put it in theaters for the development of Korean cinema." This is interpreted as a statement beyond a simple request to release his works, implying that various genres of Korean films need the opportunity to meet the audience. He also expressed frustration regarding the reality where films painstakingly completed at production sites fail to cross the threshold of theaters.

Song Eun-i, empathizing with Go Kyung-pyo's struggles, responded, "It would be good if the theater is secured and the distribution is confirmed." She pointed out that in the film industry, production, distribution, and screening must be closely intertwined. No matter how much a work is completed, if theater scheduling and distribution networks are not secured, the opportunity to receive evaluation from the audience may be limited. In particular, for diverse works to be introduced to the audience, not only the efforts of the producer but also the industrial structure surrounding distribution and screening must support it.

While receiving love from the public as an actor, Go Kyung-pyo is simultaneously experiencing the reality of failure and unreleased films as an entrepreneur. His honest confession showed that a celebrity's business challenge does not guarantee success, and that film production is also not a process that ends the moment a work is completed. While strictly advising BIBI "not to do business," Go Kyung-pyo's appearance, which included publicly raising his voice for the release of his own production company's two films, left both laughter and bitterness.

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