Staying true to the family ideal for three generations:
The story of the Oh family and Gyeongdaesangsa, in Seoul
Gyeongdaesangsa, located in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, is where three generations of the Oh family have been doing business selling Samhwa paints. Oh Yong-gi, the store owner, and Oh Jung-geun, his son, were the subjects of the first interview conducted for the “Samhwa & People” series back in 2012. They continue to work hard at the same store eight years on.
A family business running down the generations
“I named the store Gyeongdaesangsa because I had the ambition to make it the biggest store in Seoul. That ambition is still alive. Just as I have inherited the paint business from my father, my son will inherit it from me. Down the generations, this store could well become the biggest in the capital.”
The father-son duo and manager Bae Beom-jin continue to run the store just as they did eight years ago. Nearly a decade has passed, and Jung-geun, the son, now looks more mature and has an air of expertise about him. His father, Yong-gi, continues to welcome customers with his characteristic smile. Yong-gi says he feels exactly the same as he felt years ago whenever he opens the store early in the morning.
“I remember saying in that interview eight years ago: ‘I’m here because the paint is here.’ I wonder what would remain of my life if you took the paint away. Paint is what has kept my family and I fed and happy. I wonder if I would’ve felt this happy and fulfilled had I pursued some other career instead of inheriting my father’s business. Who knows what would’ve awaited me at the end of roads not taken. Anyway, I don’t regret the choice I made as a young man to continue this family legacy.”
The paint store Yong-gi’s father ran in the 1960s in Donam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, was called Ilshin Paints. Watching his father carry all the heavy jugs of paint one by one, Yong-gi volunteered to help because he wanted to lighten the load on his father’s shoulders. That’s how it all started. Yong-gi had a knack for business, and soon came to acquire a variety of skills necessary to run the store while working alongside his father. He began to think of running his own paint store. The result was Gyeongdaesangsa, which has become a fixture of the local scene in Bongcheon-dong since.
Cultivating belief and trust as the greatest assets
Yong-gi is still the one who opens the store early in the morning. As the majority of the clients need to receive their orders and take them to different construction sites all across Korea early in the morning, Jung-geun prepares all the orders to be picked up the night before. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly affected business at Gyeongdaesangsa as well, but the father-son duo persists in their faith that their perseverance will pay off in the end.
“Trust has always been the main asset at Gyeongdaesangsa. That is the main impetus behind everything we do here, and the value we must pursue and uphold until the end.” Yong-gi emphasizes that maintaining the strength of trust they have from their customers is the foremost source of competitiveness for his business.
“There are ups and downs when you run your own business. Unforeseen things happen. To be successful, you need to know how to handle these unpredictable crises in ways that reassure and inspire confidence in your clients. Repeated experiences with this care are key to trust-building, and trust is key to overcoming any crisis.”
Jung-geun still calls himself “a deputy,” expressing humility that he still has a lot to learn from his father. Just like eight years ago, he says he still learns a lot simply by trusting him and following his decisions. “His presence itself is reassuring to me. I bet my father would’ve made a great boss anywhere he worked. I have friends who go through rough patches with their fathers at times, but I’ve always believed that I would not be where I am today had it not been for my father. He’s teaching me what he learned from his father. I work hard to learn more and more from him about running this business. I want to raise Samhwa’s name among the clients just as he has done.”
Jung-geun naturally came to decide to take on the family business. There was no hesitation or doubt. He has never wandered off to try something else. He has been learning all the basics ever since, from how to stock and manage inventory to how to manage customer relations.
The process has not always been smooth. Jung-geun is more serious and reserved than his father, who is naturally sociable. Dealing with customers struck Jung-geun as quite difficult at first. He envied his father for his charisma and ability to impart confidence even in small talk with customers.
“I admire him as my father and as my boss. He has so much to teach me. He remembers the challenges he had while learning from his father and tries to be a better teacher to me as a result. That’s how we’ve been able to work together these last eight years.”
Ambition of the son
There are two color mixers in Gyeongdaesangsa. One is as good as new, used for barely a year. The other has been in use for at least two decades. It looks outdated, but remains actively serviceable, thanks mainly to the good maintenance it has received over the years. The two mixers are emblematic of the father-son duo.
Jung-geun says: “The old color mixer contains lots of mix data that’s missing from the new one. It’s been working for two decades, so it provides records on the color mixtures customers requested all those years ago. All this data will one day be transferred to the new mixer, but until then, the old mixer will be the main piece of equipment.”
“I want to become experienced like this old mixer so that I can do right by the legacy left me by my father and grandfather. I know it will take years of work and experience until I reach that stage, but I’m not worried because I know I just need to follow the path that my father and grandfather has already laid down for me.”
The sycamore in front of Gyeongdaesangsa is growing lusher day by day with new green leaves now that the summer is beginning. The leaves are still relatively small—about the size of a baby’s palm—but they will eventually grow large and provide cooling shade for people who walk by the store. Yong-gi has been that great tree providing shade over Jung-geun. The future of Gyeongdaesangsa remains bright in the hands of this father-son team.
Staying true to the family ideal for three generations:
The story of the Oh family and Gyeongdaesangsa, in Seoul
Gyeongdaesangsa, located in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, is where three generations of the Oh family have been doing business selling Samhwa paints. Oh Yong-gi, the store owner, and Oh Jung-geun, his son, were the subjects of the first interview conducted for the “Samhwa & People” series back in 2012. They continue to work hard at the same store eight years on.
A family business running down the generations
“I named the store Gyeongdaesangsa because I had the ambition to make it the biggest store in Seoul. That ambition is still alive. Just as I have inherited the paint business from my father, my son will inherit it from me. Down the generations, this store could well become the biggest in the capital.”
The father-son duo and manager Bae Beom-jin continue to run the store just as they did eight years ago. Nearly a decade has passed, and Jung-geun, the son, now looks more mature and has an air of expertise about him. His father, Yong-gi, continues to welcome customers with his characteristic smile. Yong-gi says he feels exactly the same as he felt years ago whenever he opens the store early in the morning.
“I remember saying in that interview eight years ago: ‘I’m here because the paint is here.’ I wonder what would remain of my life if you took the paint away. Paint is what has kept my family and I fed and happy. I wonder if I would’ve felt this happy and fulfilled had I pursued some other career instead of inheriting my father’s business. Who knows what would’ve awaited me at the end of roads not taken. Anyway, I don’t regret the choice I made as a young man to continue this family legacy.”
The paint store Yong-gi’s father ran in the 1960s in Donam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, was called Ilshin Paints. Watching his father carry all the heavy jugs of paint one by one, Yong-gi volunteered to help because he wanted to lighten the load on his father’s shoulders. That’s how it all started. Yong-gi had a knack for business, and soon came to acquire a variety of skills necessary to run the store while working alongside his father. He began to think of running his own paint store. The result was Gyeongdaesangsa, which has become a fixture of the local scene in Bongcheon-dong since.
Cultivating belief and trust as the greatest assets
Yong-gi is still the one who opens the store early in the morning. As the majority of the clients need to receive their orders and take them to different construction sites all across Korea early in the morning, Jung-geun prepares all the orders to be picked up the night before. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly affected business at Gyeongdaesangsa as well, but the father-son duo persists in their faith that their perseverance will pay off in the end.
“Trust has always been the main asset at Gyeongdaesangsa. That is the main impetus behind everything we do here, and the value we must pursue and uphold until the end.” Yong-gi emphasizes that maintaining the strength of trust they have from their customers is the foremost source of competitiveness for his business.
“There are ups and downs when you run your own business. Unforeseen things happen. To be successful, you need to know how to handle these unpredictable crises in ways that reassure and inspire confidence in your clients. Repeated experiences with this care are key to trust-building, and trust is key to overcoming any crisis.”
Jung-geun still calls himself “a deputy,” expressing humility that he still has a lot to learn from his father. Just like eight years ago, he says he still learns a lot simply by trusting him and following his decisions. “His presence itself is reassuring to me. I bet my father would’ve made a great boss anywhere he worked. I have friends who go through rough patches with their fathers at times, but I’ve always believed that I would not be where I am today had it not been for my father. He’s teaching me what he learned from his father. I work hard to learn more and more from him about running this business. I want to raise Samhwa’s name among the clients just as he has done.”
Jung-geun naturally came to decide to take on the family business. There was no hesitation or doubt. He has never wandered off to try something else. He has been learning all the basics ever since, from how to stock and manage inventory to how to manage customer relations.
The process has not always been smooth. Jung-geun is more serious and reserved than his father, who is naturally sociable. Dealing with customers struck Jung-geun as quite difficult at first. He envied his father for his charisma and ability to impart confidence even in small talk with customers.
“I admire him as my father and as my boss. He has so much to teach me. He remembers the challenges he had while learning from his father and tries to be a better teacher to me as a result. That’s how we’ve been able to work together these last eight years.”
Ambition of the son
There are two color mixers in Gyeongdaesangsa. One is as good as new, used for barely a year. The other has been in use for at least two decades. It looks outdated, but remains actively serviceable, thanks mainly to the good maintenance it has received over the years. The two mixers are emblematic of the father-son duo.
Jung-geun says: “The old color mixer contains lots of mix data that’s missing from the new one. It’s been working for two decades, so it provides records on the color mixtures customers requested all those years ago. All this data will one day be transferred to the new mixer, but until then, the old mixer will be the main piece of equipment.”
“I want to become experienced like this old mixer so that I can do right by the legacy left me by my father and grandfather. I know it will take years of work and experience until I reach that stage, but I’m not worried because I know I just need to follow the path that my father and grandfather has already laid down for me.”
The sycamore in front of Gyeongdaesangsa is growing lusher day by day with new green leaves now that the summer is beginning. The leaves are still relatively small—about the size of a baby’s palm—but they will eventually grow large and provide cooling shade for people who walk by the store. Yong-gi has been that great tree providing shade over Jung-geun. The future of Gyeongdaesangsa remains bright in the hands of this father-son team.
Wall paint
친환경 벽지 페인트
