Video of Washing Stones Hits 9.3 Million Views... Manager Kim's Passion Saves Failing Company

Onyang Seoksan Deputy Manager Kim Myeongseong, Popular as 'Reels Star'
Consistently Communicates on SNS Showing Sincerity

A huge red rubber basin is filled with gravel all at once. Under a faucet pouring water, a man dressed in work clothes scrubs the stones vigorously with both hands. This man diligently cleans the stones, not minding that his clothes get wet.

This simple video without any special dialogue gained great popularity on Instagram, surpassing 9.3 million views. The assistant manager of the stone company featured in this video earned the nickname 'Reels Star' from it, and the company, which had been struggling financially, saw a significant increase in sales and became well-known.

A video of Assistant Manager Kim Myung-seong from Onyang Stone Quarry washing stones, which has surpassed 9.3 million views
[Image source=Screenshot from Onyang Stone Quarry Instagram]

The creator of the video is Kim Myeongseong, known as 'Assistant Manager Kim of Onyang Stone Quarry.' Onyang Stone Quarry is a stone company located in Asan, Chungnam, originally specializing in selling Onyang Stone, a patterned landscaping stone. However, since landscaping stones are heavily affected by the construction market, sales of landscaping stones have dropped by about 30% due to the recent real estate market downturn. Assistant Manager Kim, who was managing payroll expenses, began filming and steadily uploading Instagram Reels videos two years ago to promote the company when there was not enough money to pay employees' salaries.

Perhaps his sincerity paid off. The videos average several hundred thousand views each. The main content of the videos features Assistant Manager Kim with a bright expression explaining the company's stone products in a lively voice and showing himself washing and processing the stones. By chance, the videos started to be picked up by the algorithm, and now even ordinary people unrelated to stones have expressed interest in purchasing stones from Onyang Stone Quarry. However, the company originally sold stones only in 20kg units, making small quantity purchases difficult. In response, netizens commented with ideas such as 'these days, there are companion stones,' prompting Onyang Stone Quarry to start selling companion stones on a trial basis.

At the end of last year, the company initially had doubts, wondering 'Will people really like this?' when they first started selling companion stones, but surprisingly, the prepared stock sold out within 40 seconds of the launch. In response, the company donated the proceeds from companion stone sales to thank the fans for their enthusiastic support. In fact, companion stones themselves are not a profitable product. Compared to the effort involved in selecting, washing, and drying the stones, it is actually a loss. However, Assistant Manager Kim started selling companion stones out of a desire for customers to have fun and enjoy them.

Assistant Manager Kim Myung-seong of Onyang Quarry posed holding a companion stone. [Image source=Onyang Quarry Instagram capture]

The secret to Assistant Manager Kim of Onyang Stone Quarry's popularity is not just sincerity. One of his important daily tasks is also communicating with netizens by replying to comments with wit. As many people visit his social media (SNS), there are many amusing comments. To a protest comment saying, "Isn't it 'stone abuse' to forcibly wash companion stones like that?" he replied, "Sorry. Next time, I will apply perilla oil and play classical music while washing them." To a comment saying, "My home's stones struggle so much not to be washed, but your stones are so well-behaved," he responded, "We agreed that if they take a bath, we'll buy them pork cutlet." When asked a basic question, "What's the difference between companion stones and regular stones?" he explained, "Companion stones are kind." When a netizen considering adopting a companion stone asked, "They shouldn't bark... will they listen well?" Kim answered, "They are quiet. I've lived with stones for 10 years, and they are very silent," resolving the curiosity.

Meanwhile, last month, foreign media reported that 'Pet Rocks' are becoming a trend among Koreans who raise stones like pets. On the 17th of last month (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) introduced the Korean 'Pet Rocks' trend in an article titled 'Overworked Koreans are resting with Pet Rocks.'

WSJ pointed out that "(Koreans) endure the longest working hours among industrialized countries," explaining that they raise stones seeking unchanging tranquility. The media also attributed the rise in popularity of companion stones to idols. It analyzed that interest grew when members of popular idol groups such as Seventeen and Tomorrow X Together (TXT) revealed their own companion stones in 2021.