Park Mi-hee [KBS 2TV 'Sajangnim Gwineun Dangnaegwi']
Park Mi-hee [KBS 2TV 'Sajangnim Gwineun Dangnaegwi']

Park Mi-hee, a kimchi master whose company generates nearly 50 billion won ($35.9 million) in annual sales, has drawn attention after revealing she once worked as a housekeeper for the late Kim Woo-jung, founder and chairman of the Daewoo Group.

Park is set to appear on the KBS 2TV variety program "Sajangnim Gwineun Dangnaegwi," a show featuring business owners, airing Sunday, to share her remarkable rags-to-riches story.

Park was designated a master food craftsman in 2024 and, in 2025, was named kimchi master No. 98 for her "joggi kimchi," a variety made with small radishes. Domisol Food, the kimchi manufacturing company she founded in 2005, has grown into a business with annual sales approaching 50 billion won.

Park grew up on Jeju Island, but her family scattered when her father's business went bankrupt and she was 16.

She boarded a train to Seoul to earn tuition money and found work in the kitchen of a textile factory, where she cooked three meals a day for 20 people. Her monthly wage at the time was 39,000 won.

At 19, she landed a job as a housekeeper at the home of Kim Woo-jung, who was then one of the most powerful figures in the Korean business world. "At such a young age, I single-handedly managed the entire household of the chairman's main residence," she said.

By 21, she had been tapped to oversee the household of the president of Ssangyong E&C. She won the favor of the chaebol family not only through her exceptional cooking but also through her sharp instincts — including the habit of summarizing key newspaper stories in advance for her employers.

Park's life turned when she married a man who raised cattle on a small farm in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The farm thrived, growing from seven head of cattle to 120, but when her husband was laid low by a herniated disc, she opened a restaurant on the property. Word spread that her kimchi was exceptional, the restaurant became a great success, and Park's career in kimchi began in earnest.

"Sajangnim Gwineun Dangnaegwi" featuring Park airs Sunday at 4:40 p.m.


paq@heraldcorp.com