South Chungcheong names young entrepreneurs of the month

South Chungcheong Province has named Choi Jeong-ho, founder of the walnut cake brand Jeong Ho-du, and Jeong Yun-jin, founder of galbi soup restaurant Uwahan Galbitang, as its "Young Entrepreneur of the Month" — a program that identifies promising youth-led brands and provides structured support.

The province selects outstanding young entrepreneurs each month, highlighting their growth stories to spread a startup culture and invigorate the local entrepreneurship ecosystem.

A Cheonan specialty goes national

Choi Jeong-ho, 38, runs Jeong Ho-du, a walnut cake brand based in Cheonan. He spent five years at a walnut cake franchise, gaining hands-on experience in production, store operations and staff management, before concluding that reinterpreting the traditional snack as a modern dessert could turn it into a brand enjoyed across generations. That conviction led him to launch his own business.

He chose Cheonan and Asan — the heartland of walnut cake — as his base, reasoning that establishing product quality and brand credibility had to come first.

Choi invested 80 million won ($56,300) in startup costs and, after being selected last year for the province's youth startup and job-creation support program, injected an additional 200 million won to relocate and expand his store. With that support, he upgraded production facilities and equipment, redesigned packaging and overhauled the brand's identity — transforming what had been a small shop into a genuinely competitive brand.

Customer dwell time and average purchase size both grew after the expanded store and café opened, and sales roughly doubled within about a year.

Revenue for the first half of this year reached 450 million won, and bulk orders and supply contracts from companies and public institutions have been growing consistently.

"Receiving the governor's commendation last year helped us introduce Jeong Ho-du as a trustworthy local brand, and it gave me the strength to keep pushing through difficult times," Choi said. "My goal is to grow Jeong Ho-du into the signature dessert brand of South Chungcheong Province, and in the long run to make it a brand people seek out not just across Korea but overseas as well."

A young entrepreneur's challenge, one bowl at a time

Jeong Yun-jin, 28, operates Uwahan Galbitang in Asan, building a galbi soup brand rooted in what she sees as the essence of the restaurant business: taste and honesty.

Jeong built front-line experience and customer service skills working across a range of service industries — restaurants, cafés, a travel agency, a wedding hall and a hospital — before setting out to build a brand she describes as one that never compromises on flavor or its founding principles.

Having grown up in Seoul and lived in South Chungcheong Province during her university years, Jeong took note of the growth potential in Asan and Cheonan, and chose Asan as her first location, drawn by the consumer demand it attracts from both local residents and tourists.

Starting a business in a city where she had no existing connections, she initially struggled with marketing and building a customer base. Through the province's youth startup and job-creation support program, she received startup funding, specialist consulting and mentoring across multiple fields — learning the practical side of running a business, including social media marketing, product design, commercial lease management, and labor and accounting matters — while also developing a concrete franchise strategy.

Particularly valuable, she said, was the help she received in objectively assessing her business direction and mapping out a growth strategy.

Uwahan Galbitang has since expanded beyond Asan to open company-owned stores in Boryeong and Osan in Gyeonggi Province, while its online smart store has maintained steady sales for three consecutive years.

By building an integrated online and offline sales structure, Jeong achieved annual revenue of 500 million won last year.

"Good food starts with good ingredients and sparing no effort," Jeong said. "Rather than rapidly expanding the number of stores, I will keep the taste and service consistent so that customers can trust us wherever they find us."

The province said it plans to continue providing tailored support at each stage of growth — including startup funding, education, specialist consulting and mentoring — to help young entrepreneurs across a range of fields build their businesses on a stable footing.

Han Mi-ra, head of South Chungcheong Province's youth policy division, said Uwahan Galbitang and Jeong Ho-du stand as prime examples of young people's ideas, born in South Chungcheong, growing into competitive brands through systematic support. "We will continue to strengthen practical support so that young entrepreneurs can realize their potential in the region and take on not just the national market but the global stage as well," she said.