Oh Sang-jin and Kim So-young [Instagram]
Oh Sang-jin and Kim So-young [Instagram]

Kim So-young, a former TV announcer turned entrepreneur, is shutting down her book club service after six years — the latest in a string of closures following her Dubai Chewy Cookie business. Both ventures were part of her company Biplant, which raised 7 billion won ($5.17 million) in investment last year.

On Friday, Kim announced she would end her Chaekbaljeon Book Club subscription service with the October issue, bringing the six-year-old operation to a close.

The service sent subscribers a curated book, a newsletter and reading-themed merchandise each month. Fans expressed concern upon learning that the long-running business was suddenly closing.

In response, Kim said she had spent the past few years watching the publishing and printing markets shift, and that she had quietly been bracing herself for the possibility of closing the book club for some time, even as the business continued to struggle.

"Because I never once mentioned that there were problems or difficulties, those who read the announcement on Sunday may have found it very sudden," she said. "I felt that talking about it would look irresponsible, like I was blaming others — and I disliked the idea of coming across as whining." She added, "I realize now that I was being foolishly clever. I learned something this time."

Kim had also recently drawn sympathy after it emerged that she was winding down her Dubai Chewy Cookie business. She had previously said the venture was running at a loss even when sales were strong.

Some observers have speculated that Kim is streamlining her business portfolio to focus on her curation commerce operation, which has been performing well.

Kim's company Biplant drew attention last year when it secured 7 billion won from Altos Ventures. While Biplant had operated the Dubai Chewy Cookie and book club businesses, it grew primarily on the strength of Bronte, its curation commerce platform. The company has since expanded by developing its own cosmetics and healthcare brands.

In a post published Friday, Kim wrote that she had spent roughly two months in what she described as a kind of emergency management mode, working through major decisions and ambitious plans. "I am grateful that we have reached a stage where I can explain to anyone what our company does and what it aims to do — not because the organization has grown larger or because Bronte's sales have increased, but simply because we are now able to articulate it," she wrote.

Kim joined MBC as an announcer in 2012 and left in 2017 to pursue business. That same year, she married Oh Sang-jin, a fellow former MBC announcer. The couple have a son and a daughter.


paq@heraldcorp.com