6 youth teams building new value by settling in rural communities

Narrated by Nam Hee-seok and Oh Young-sil; airs through Oct. 2

A scene from the "Green Biz" episode of the local hero series. [SK Broadband]
A scene from the "Green Biz" episode of the local hero series. [SK Broadband]

SK Broadband is shining a light on young CEOs who have put down roots in local communities and are creating new value there.

The company said Monday it is launching season 2 of "Widaehan Samchon: Lokal Hieo-ui Tansaeng," a TV documentary series on young rural entrepreneurs, co-produced with Beri Media and Yonhap TV JOB.

The title plays on the Korean word "samchon," which can mean both "uncle" and the three types of rural communities — farming villages, fishing villages and mountain villages. The show follows young CEOs who have turned their backs on city life to settle in local communities and build something new, against a backdrop of worsening rural depopulation and youth unemployment.

SK Broadband said the new season captures the struggles and challenges of young people who chose a region to pursue the life they had always dreamed of, along with the sense of achievement and hope that grows from those experiences. Comedian Nam Hee-seok and announcer Oh Young-sil provide narration.

The season also features a wide range of local business stories — from the restoration of a historic old house to the raising of ostriches, bees and elk, a K-pet food venture, and a granola brand made from surplus vegetables.

Promotional poster for the local hero series. [SK Broadband]
Promotional poster for the local hero series. [SK Broadband]

The show introduces six local hero teams in all. Among those featured are Kim Hyeon-hui, head of Ostrich Land, who raises ostriches in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, billing the venture as a "Korean Jurassic Park"; the couple Do Won-u and Kim I-rin of Ripleisu, who transformed a historic house in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, that had sat vacant for 20 years into a popular destination generating 1 billion won ($718,000) in annual sales; and Ahn Eun-jin, CEO of Anikong, who is pursuing K-pet food exports from Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province.

The series also follows Son In-jun, CEO of Green Biz, who started a beekeeping and hands-on experience business in Aewol, Jeju, with just 2 million won; Kim Beom-seok, CEO of Hwirok, who raises 60 elk in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, and is developing new antler-based products; and Ahn Ju-hui, a working mother and CEO of Yeolil Chein-ji in Gujwa, Jeju, who reimagines surplus vegetables as granola to give them new value.

Season 2 airs weekdays at 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Oct. 2 on B tv cable channel 1 "ch B tv," Living TV and Yonhap TV JOB.

Co-producers Beri Media and Yonhap TV JOB joined the project for a second season despite difficult conditions facing the media industry, including smaller content providers, saying they shared the show's social message.

"In a reality where rural depopulation and the resulting youth exodus and unemployment are growing ever more severe, we wanted to find a ray of hope," said Park In-seo, SK Broadband's head of cable broadcasting operations. "The choices and journeys of these individuals go beyond the story of any one region — they carry a resonance that anyone navigating an uncertain future can relate to."


woo@heraldcorp.com