Have you heard of the shop that was revived throughWadiz? This is the story of Youngcheol Burger, a beloved Anam institution that had collapsed—so much so that even the owner said, “We’ll never get back on our feet.” To save the collapsed Youngcheol Burger,
2,700 supporters came together, and the hamburger was miraculously cooked again.Discover the miraculous story made possible by our supporters.
Lee Young-chul, a true master of the heart
Hello, I’m Lee Young-chul of Youngchul Burger—the man who fell twice but got back up three times.
Q. How did you start Youngchul Burger?
I was working at a construction site when the IMF crisis hit. I decided to try something new, so I jumped into the street food business. The first two years were really tough. By chance, I ended up setting up shop near Korea University and even developed my own menu. There was a time when my only goal was to get three meals a day. Later on, as I interacted with the students and built relationships with them, I found myself thinking that I wouldn’t mind going hungry. Just being able to live alongside the students here made me incredibly happy.
Q. I heard you were 32 when you first started your street stall.
That’s quite young—didn’t you feel a bit overwhelmed?
Since I’d been living my life without much direction, I wasn’t afraid to take on new challenges. I was afraid of other people’s judgmental glances and prejudices toward street vendors, but I’ve never been afraid of taking on new challenges.
Q. What motivated you to overcome the judgment of others?
My biggest motivation was connecting with the college students I had always looked up to. I never imagined I would be able to talk to and become friends with students from prestigious universities—the very kind of college life I had always dreamed of. Although my circumstances were unfortunate, that happiness allowed me to overcome everything.
Q. Is there a customer who stands out in your memory from your time running a street stall?
It was a cold winter, and I was eating a bowl of kimchi stew that I’d ordered for delivery. Just then, a friend who used to visit often walked in, so I said, “Hey, let’s eat,” and he just said, “Sure,” and sat down to eat with me right away. Thinking back on that moment still gives me a tinge of emotion. It was so touching was truly touching. Even now, when I occasionally joke, “Hey, buy me just one bowl of kimchi stew,” he says that if he has the time, he could buy me 100 bowls.
A world that accepts and loves me
Q. Youngcheol Burger was famous for its great value.
You could call it the pioneer of value for money—why did you sell them at such low prices?
Since I had a family to support, making a living was important, of course. But I found great joy in spending my days with the students. Because it was so fun and fulfilling, I wanted to keep working with them, and I didn’t want to let them down. There were times when I should have raised my prices, but I wanted to honor their trust, so I kept my rates low for quite a long time.
A burger for 1,000 won, with unlimited refills on cola. A lot of my friends are only now admitting that they used to eat a whole burger and drink 1.5 liters of cola. But if they ate like that and left, they’d come back again next time. Community was more important to me than profit.
Q. When we think of you, Mr. CEO, we can’t help but mention your charitable giving.
I’m curious about what inspired you to start donating.
I’ve never lived in a world where someone acknowledged and loved me. But when I came here and saw how much the students cared for and loved me, I wanted to do something to help them in return. At first, I wondered, “Will such a prestigious school even accept my money? If they don’t, I’ll be too embarrassed to run my business in the neighborhood.” What made me happiest was how thrilled my mother was. She told me, “My son is doing great,” and that made me feel incredibly proud and happy.
Q. Of all the epithets used to describe this ancient landmark, which one do you like best?
The myth of the street vendor, the myth of starting from scratch. Those are my favorite phrases. They just sound so good, don’t they? Just hearing them makes my heart race. Creating something from nothing is no easy feat, but these words acknowledge my hard work, so they fill me with emotion and make me happy every time I hear them.
“Sir, we’d like to help.”
Q. When did Youngchul Burger first experience a setback?
In 2009, I attempted a bold innovation. I took on the challenge of turning the restaurant into a business that would thrive forever, but from that point on, I found myself on a path to failure. As the wellness trend took off in 2009, I tried a strategy to position the brand as upscale. I opened as many as 10 franchise locations. At first, thanks to the brand recognition of Youngcheol Burger, we had plenty of customers. But looking back now, I think I was about 15 years ahead of my time. Back then, prices were around 7,500 won and 6,500 won, and even now I wonder why I had such a ridiculous idea at the time.
Q. I heard that meeting Wadizhelped you get back on your feet?
I did everything I could to avoid failure. I took out bank loans and even resorted to private loans. I gave it my all, thinking that if I failed here, it would be the end, but in the end, some things just don’t work out. In June 2015, I was forced to close even the main branch. I was completely exhausted, both financially and emotionally, and, feeling as though I had given up, I cut off all contact for a while.
Then one day, I got a text from a student. They said they wanted to help and mentioned Wadiz crowdfunding campaign. I agonized over it for a long time. The money had been raised by students younger than my own children, who had each chipped in 5,000 or 10,000 won, and I was deeply worried about what would happen if we failed again. My wife tried to talk me out of it. She said that if it didn’t work out, I wouldn’t be able to bear the emotional burden. After much deliberation, I decided to trust the story Young-cheol Burger had built and get back on my feet once more. I helped the students launch the crowdfunding campaign, and we were able to get back on our feet.
Q. I heard that the initial funding goal was 8 million won, but it surpassed 20 million won in just one day.
It was a successful campaign supported by 2,765 backers.
We raised 20 million won in just one day and reached 70 million won in two weeks. Regardless of the amount, I feel an immense sense of responsibility. It means so many people are cheering me on and have high expectations. Once I received the funds, I found myself stuck—unable to decide what to do—and really hesitated. I even wondered if I should give it all back.
Your support gives me the strength to get back on my feet
Q. I heard you went through another difficult time after the funding.
I was eager to make a comeback. I thought that if I could quickly pay back what I’d received from my students, I’d be able to start over with a clear conscience. So I started with a store that was nearly 300 square meters in size, and for 30 months, I worked my fingers to the bone, sleeping just three hours a day. Even so, I felt like it wasn’t enough. I went into debt, experienced failure again, and stayed home for four months. But thanks to the passionate support our students showed through the crowdfunding campaign, I decided once more to “go all the way” and stepped out of the house. Then, in May 2019, I moved to the College of Engineering area.
Q. You fell twice but got back up three times. How did that make you feel?
The most important principle in my life has been to live a life I can be proud of in front of my students. There are two things that keep Youngchul Burger going even when we hit a rough patch. The first is that we have a lot of fans. The second is that we show our true selves. And I believe that, just as much as receiving the love of our fans, it’s most important to do my best in my role without deceiving anyone. I think it’s thanks to these qualities that we’ve been able to earn their love.
Does being nice lead to failure?
Q. When people think of “Youngcheol Burger,” the phrase “the kind-hearted burger” always comes to mind.
But these days, people say that being “good” leads to failure. What are your thoughts on that?
People spare you even when you fail because you’re kind, and they help you because you’re kind. To me, I have hundreds of thousands of friends and hundreds of thousands of mentors. I strive to live in a way that doesn’t shame my students, and even when I fail, I do my best to overcome it. I believe that my students, too, benefit greatly in life by seeing how hard I work. I always try to live with that sense of happiness and gratitude. I believe I have a wonderful relationship with my students—one where I can hug them and pat them on the shoulder when they’ve overcome a difficult challenge.
Q. Admitting failure is actually really hard.
You’ve admitted to failure and bounced back time and time again.
You have to admit your mistakes quickly and fix them. If you just dwell on them and feel miserable, you’ll only end up hurting yourself more. It’s gotten harder to find a job these days, but I always tell my friends this: “It just takes longer. What matters is how well you’ve held your ground during that time. If you let yourself get intimidated or feel pressured by others, you’ll crumble.” I always tell them to think positively. No matter how much you fail or struggle, others won’t understand. You have to overcome it and prevail on your own. In a way, I think failure is a truly great teacher.
Q. What is Youngchul Burger’s ultimate goal?
Youngchul Burger never loses sight of its original mission. While things may get tough and challenging at times, we strive to overcome these obstacles and live in harmony with one another. I, too, love this world so much. I find immense joy in spending time with the students. When I’m in this world, I lose track of time and don’t even realize I’m getting older. I will always stay true to my original mission.
Throughout the interview, President Lee Young-cheol spoke of his gratitude toward the students and the sincerity that goes into every "Young-cheol Burger." I suppose the reason why "Young-cheol Burger," a local favorite in Anam, shines so brightly is because they put their "heart and soul" into every single burger, right?
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