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, the master of heartwarming stories
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 Youngcheol 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. At first, there were times 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 share my life with 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 the way people looked at street vendors and their prejudices, 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 could have imagined talking to and becoming 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 jokingly say, “Hey, buy me just one bowl of kimchi stew,” he tells me that if I just make 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 burgers—why did you sell them at such low prices?
I had a family to support, so making a living was important. 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 needed to raise my rates, but I wanted to stay true to my word, so I kept my prices low for quite a long time.
A burger for 1,000 won, with unlimited refills on Coke. A lot of friends are admitting now that they used to eat a burger and drink 1.5 liters of Coke. But even if they ate like that, they’d come back again next time. Community was more important to us than profit.
Q. When we think of you, Mr. President, 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 that my mother was so pleased. She told me, “My son is doing a great job,” 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." That’s my favorite phrase. It just sounds so good, doesn’t it? Just hearing it makes my heart race. Creating something from nothing isn’t easy, but hearing these words—which acknowledge my hard work—fills me with emotion, and I feel happy every time I hear them.
“Sir, we’d like to help.”
Q. When did Youngcheol 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 since then, I’ve been on a path of failure. As the wellness trend took off in 2009, I tried a premium strategy. I opened as many as 10 franchise locations. At first, thanks to the brand recognition of Youngcheol Burger, we had a lot 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 my best to avoid failure at all costs. 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 in a state of near-despair, I cut off all contact for a while.
Then one day, I received 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 succeeded, that would be one thing, but if it failed, how could I bear the emotional burden? After much deliberation, I decided to trust the story Young-cheol Burger had built and make a fresh start. 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 return the money.
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 opened a shop 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 engineering college 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 in a way that 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 many fans. The second is that we show our true selves. And I believe that doing my best in my role without deceiving anyone—just as much as receiving the love of our fans—is what matters most. I think it’s thanks to these qualities that we’ve been able to earn their love.
Does being good lead to ruin?
Q. When people think of “Youngcheol Burger,” the phrase “the kind-hearted burger” always comes to mind.
But these days, people say that being kind leads to failure. What are your thoughts on that?
People spare me even when I fail because I’m a good person, and they help me because I’m a good person. To me, I have hundreds of thousands of friends and hundreds of thousands of mentors. I strive to live in a way that won’t make me feel ashamed in front of my students, and even when I fail, I do my best to overcome it. I believe that my students, too, will find great inspiration in 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 should admit your mistakes quickly and correct them. If you just dwell on them and feel miserable, you’ll only end up hurting yourself even 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 yourself together during that time; if you feel intimidated or 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 get through it on your own. In a way, I think failure is a truly great teacher.
Q. What is Youngchul Burger's ultimate goal?
Youngcheol 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 together in harmony. 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 notice myself growing old. 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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