The Myth of 'Meryas' Among the People... Han Young-dae, BYC Chairman, Passes Away

Han Young-dae, Chairman of BYC

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Han Young-dae, the founder of BYC and a giant in the domestic underwear industry, passed away at 9 p.m. on the 16th. He was 100 years old.

Born in 1923 in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, as the third of five sons and one daughter, Chairman Han started his career as a fabric store clerk and early on ventured into business by running a bicycle shop and a sewing machine assembly store. Later, on August 15, 1946, the first anniversary of Korea’s liberation, he established ‘Hanheung Meriyas,’ the predecessor of BYC, marking his first step into the underwear industry. At that time, Chairman Han aimed to ensure that people would no longer live in cold and unsanitary conditions by starting the production of Meriyas underwear.

Inspired by the idea that enlarging the body of a sock knitting machine could enable underwear production, he created the ‘Korea’s first Meriyas knitting machine’ after five months of development. He expanded the performance and number of knitting machines, dramatically increasing productivity.

Subsequently, Chairman Han developed the country’s first bleaching technology using sodium hypochlorite and launched the ‘Baekyang’ brand, which became a symbol of white underwear. He also led the standardization and specification of products by dividing underwear sizes, previously categorized as large, medium, and small, into four stages (85, 90, 95, 100 cm).

The principle Chairman Han emphasized most was the ‘single path of underwear’ and ‘quality first’ spirit. It is a well-known anecdote that when Mitsubishi Corporation secretly collected and reviewed samples of BYC products in the domestic market and proposed exporting them to Japan due to their high quality, Chairman Han flatly refused, saying, “They are not yet excellent enough to export.”

In 1985, during an executive meeting of Baekyang, Chairman Han faced a dilemma over whether to maintain the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) method of attaching overseas famous brands to export products or to enter the global market with Baekyang’s own brand. The issue was brought to the board and even subjected to a standing vote. After much deliberation, Chairman Han chose to develop an independent brand and export Baekyang products overseas. This led to the birth of the ‘BYC’ brand, and in 1996, the company name was changed to BYC.

Since then, BYC was ranked among the top 10 of the ‘28 Listed Companies with Outstanding Survival Ability’ selected by Korea Investment Trust in 1998, and in 2000, it was awarded the first New Millennium New Enterprise Award in the value-added creation category, jointly established by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and JoongAng Ilbo. It also continuously developed by receiving awards such as the ‘Best Company Award,’ ‘Best Mid-sized Company Award,’ and ‘Korea Textile Award’ from the Korea Management Association.

Chairman Han is survived by one son and two daughters, with the third generation, Han Seok-beom, currently serving as BYC chairman and continuing the family legacy.

The funeral is being held at VIP Room 2 of the Yeouido St. Mary’s Hospital Funeral Hall in Seoul, with the funeral procession scheduled for the 19th.