[Power K-Women] "Management is about making those close to you happy first"

From First-Generation Home Shopping Pioneer to CEO Pursuing 'Happy Management'
Food Specialist MD, Flower Shop Owner, and Diverse Social Experiences
Choosing Entrepreneurship for Flexible Time Management and Work

A high school girl who wrote "CEO" as her future aspiration became a first-generation home shopping pioneer, leading the industry and eventually establishing a company specializing in product planning and distribution. This is the story of Kim Jeong-hee, CEO of Uwell Deco and Vice President of the Korea Women Venture Association. Born in 1970, Kim enjoyed reading biographies of great figures from a young age. "By looking at the life stories of individuals, I indirectly learned how to live my life," she said. Reading about the heroes of the Industrial Revolution era naturally led her to dream of becoming a CEO.

She adhered to the principles of "honesty, diligence, and sincerity" both at work and in dealing with people. This was a family motto set by her father, who was from North Korea. Resembling her father's personality?who believed one should never live in debt and did not even create a credit card?she developed a meticulous business temperament. Since her family was not well-off, Kim's mother also worked for a long time. She learned cooking herself and ran a restaurant. Kim said, "Seeing my mother, I naturally regarded women working in society as normal."

First Generation of Home Shopping... Started a Flower Shop After Childbirth, Became a Food Specialist MD

Kim entered the home shopping industry in 1997 when she joined 39 Shopping. At that time, the concept of home shopping was newly introduced to Korea. They had to adapt the American home shopping industry to the Korean market. In most workplaces then, men led and women played supporting roles, but the home shopping industry was different. Like today's startups, men and women worked in an egalitarian atmosphere, with young and capable employees passionately engaged. After gaining experience as an MD, she resigned for childbirth and later joined NS Home Shopping as an experienced hire, working as a food specialist MD for five years.

After leaving her first job and while raising her child, she also ran a flower shop. Kim recalled that time: "Emotionally, it was very satisfying, but it wasn't profitable. I had only planned products before, so running a business was not easy. However, running a small business helped me better understand the feelings of small business owners entering the home shopping market." In an era when women's social activities were uncommon, she was once asked by a department store buyer, "Is the food MD a woman?" because most food buyers at department stores were men. Due to many tough local trips to discover farm products, it was mostly men's work.

Media commerce venture company Uweldeco's CEO Kim Jeonghee is speaking in front of the company's products at the office in Nokbeon-dong, Seoul. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

However, being a food MD was advantageous for women because understanding the mindset of housewives was important. The top priority was to assess whether a company was ready to do home shopping. They carefully checked if the company could secure enough quantity to sell on home shopping and if nationwide delivery was possible. The MD was responsible for identifying purchase points, setting appropriate product combinations and prices, deciding on packaging, and managing inventory. They had to quickly grasp consumer desires. "When the diet craze hit, 'oats' started to become popular. Introducing rare products not common in the market and making consumers aware of them was important." She said, "To reduce returns and cancellations, we had to provide detailed instructions on product preparation and cooking methods." This know-how was later benchmarked by home shopping channels in Southeast Asia.

Founded in 2007, Sales of 20 Billion KRW... "Must Keep Studying"

The MD profession was highly competitive even among seniors and juniors because incentives and promotions depended on whether sales targets were met. It was a job that required quickly discovering excellent products and successfully generating sales. She explained, "If you don't meet the target, it's hard to stay in the company. You have to constantly study trends and proactively engage in your work." After her child entered elementary school, she faced a period of deciding whether to continue as an MD or start a business.

"Even working on weekends, I didn't have enough time. Nowadays, issues like school violence are common, and I thought if parents don't pay attention to school education, children might fall behind or be isolated. So, I chose entrepreneurship to work while freely managing my time." In 2007, Kim founded Uwell Deco, leveraging her know-how and experience. Uwell Deco is a combination of 'ubiquitous + well-being + deco.' It aims to be a planning specialist company introducing healthy products that can be recommended to those around her.

Media commerce venture company Uweldeco CEO Kim Jeonghee. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

"Planning work is different from simple distribution. You always have to have a youthful sense from the consumer's perspective. For example, when supplying fruit, department stores and large supermarkets have different characteristics. Department stores prefer large, sweet products even if expensive, while large supermarkets favor products that can be sold in bulk at reasonable prices." Uwell Deco successfully promoted 'nopo brands' specializing in Korean dishes such as beef bone soup, bulgogi, and ox knee soup, gaining a reputation in the industry. When offline stores were hit hard by COVID-19, home shopping products began to sell well.

At first, nopo restaurant owners questioned, "Why should our products be sold on home shopping?" but they gradually became convinced. They created a steady seller loved for over five years by producing beef jangjorim as a shelf-stable product for home shopping. To develop various sales channels for small and medium enterprises, Uwell Deco handles product planning tailored to demand channels such as home shopping, various delivery apps, online shopping sites, and food specialty platforms. The company has now grown to achieve annual sales of 20 billion KRW.

Career Breaks Make It Harder... Don't Quit Your Job Easily

She advises young professionals dreaming of entrepreneurship to gain sufficient experience in their field. She said, "There are hurdles like marriage, childbirth, and childcare, but if you endure for a few years, they pass. If you have a career break, it becomes harder later, so don't quit your job easily." Kim is nurturing junior talents through an in-house venture format and seeking business cooperation opportunities. She also meets startup CEOs to listen to their stories and build networks to respond to changes in management paradigms.

When meeting novice female entrepreneurs, she recommends writing a "family and company chronicle." "When the company reaches its fifth year, consider the ages of family members including yourself, and when your child enters school, think about how to manage your time from a business perspective." She pursues management that makes the closest people happy first. She said, "When my family, friends, and neighbors become happy, society and the nation also become happy. My family must be stable for the business to be sustainably operated."

◆About CEO Kim Jeong-hee...

Born in Seoul in 1970, Kim Jeong-hee built her career as a first-generation home shopping MD for over ten years at 39 Shopping and NS Home Shopping. Utilizing her experience and know-how as a food specialist MD, she founded Uwell Deco in 2007. Uwell Deco specializes in product planning connecting small and medium enterprises with home shopping channels and online platforms. It promoted nopo brand menus through home shopping and overcame the COVID-19 crisis together. Since 2017, she has served as Vice President of the Korea Women Venture Association, becoming a strong mentor for junior female entrepreneurs.