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Broadcaster Lee Kyung-kyu revealed that he is still receiving royalties from "Kkokkomyeon," the instant noodle product he helped develop and launch in 2011. He also disclosed that the product's origins trace back to a failed business venture involving cricket-fed chickens, and that he has arranged for the royalties to be inherited by his daughter.
The revelation came Saturday on KBS2's "The Boss Has Donkey Ears," in which Lee and fellow broadcaster Kim Sook visited a yellowtail fish farm run by former baseball star Yang Jun-hyeok.
Yang, who first got to know Lee through the KBS2 program "A Man's Qualification," said he had invited the pair because Lee was an avid fishing enthusiast and because the farm's fishing pond, which had opened a year earlier, needed more publicity.
When Kim Sook proposed a fishing contest, Lee responded with confidence, saying he would jump into the pond himself if he lost.
The contest — dubbed the "1st Yang Jun-hyeok Cup Fishing Tournament" — went to whoever first reeled in a fish measuring 50 centimeters or longer. Kim Sook landed a red sea bream early on and clinched victory just 35 minutes in, displaying skill that belied her two years of experience. Lee accepted the unexpected defeat graciously.
Afterward, as the group listened to Yang talk about running his fish farm, Lee opened up about his own business experiences.
"I also raised chickens fed on crickets — and it went under," he said, confessing to the failure of his "Gwittuldak" venture, which involved rearing chickens on a diet of crickets.
"Gwittuldak was supposed to be my business cheat code, but the crickets cost more than regular feed, so it ultimately collapsed," he said. "I ended up selling the chickens as lion food at a zoo." The candid admission drew sympathetic reactions.
But a smile soon crossed Lee's face.
When Kim Sook asked, "Are you still getting royalties from Kkokkomyeon?" Lee confirmed, "I'm still getting Kkokkomyeon royalties."
He had earlier drawn attention by revealing that he had structured his contract so the royalties could be passed down to his daughter, Lee Ye-rim.
Particularly striking was his disclosure that Kkokkomyeon — his most lucrative product — was itself born out of the Gwittuldak debacle.
"Because I couldn't sell the chickens, I kept eating them, and chicken recipes just started coming to me," Lee said. "That's how the Kkokkomyeon recipe came about."
yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com
