[Power K-Women] Jung Saemmul "Instead of Giving Up, Just Try Once... You Have to Keep Going to Feel a Sense of Achievement"

Endless Challenges Taken on by 'K-Beauty Matriarch' Jeong Saemmul Director
"Fear of Death from Asthma but Success in Swimming Brings a Sense of Achievement"
"Whether to Half-Heartedly Take on Challenges Is My Choice... The Outcome Is Unknown"

Known as the "Godmother of K-Beauty" and a first-generation makeup artist, Director Jung Saem Mool has been busy all year shuttling between Singapore and Korea. This is because her vision has expanded beyond Korea to Southeast Asia. She is seeking business expansion with a base in Singapore. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, she promoted K-Beauty in countries like Japan and China. While personally overseeing the opening of her Singapore store, which she had been contemplating for nearly two years, she also had to balance raising her two daughters who attend school locally. As a working mom, Director Jung moves faster to avoid missing out on both work and parenting, constantly challenging herself.

Director Jung was a teenage girl who dreamed of becoming a painter. However, after her father's business failure led to financial difficulties, she had to work various part-time jobs and entered the makeup artist field in 1991. She handled makeup for the top actresses of the time, leading domestic makeup trends. Currently, she is the head of the K-Beauty brand ‘Jung Saem Mool Beauty,’ which generates annual sales of around 70 billion KRW (as of 2023), expanding beyond the domestic market to overseas.

When asked why she continues to take on challenges, Director Jung replied, "There are many reasons not to do it, like 'I'm old' or 'I have to raise kids,'" but added, "You only know after trying until the end. You never know what the outcome will be." She then introduced her biggest recent challenge and achievement as "learning to swim," smiling as she spoke.

- I heard you are very busy shuttling between Singapore and Korea while balancing business and parenting. What motivates you to continue challenging yourself overseas?

▲ To explain this, I’ll share a story that might make it easier to understand. I enrolled my child in sports in Singapore. I taught my eldest daughter how to swim. We fought every day. She hated swimming and said there were too many lessons. To persuade her, I got into the water with her. Actually, I have asthma and had never submerged my head underwater before because I was afraid of not being able to breathe. But for my child, I cried every day and went into the water. We spent about six months crying and struggling together. Through that process, my child, who had difficulty adapting locally in Singapore, made friends through swimming. I think all the reasons are in this story. Whether to give up after going through a difficult process or how far to keep challenging?that story is all here. It’s not because I’m talented or capable.

- As a pioneer of K-Beauty, does this mean that not giving up until the end leads to something gained in the process?

▲ I never think of myself as a pioneer of K-Beauty. I try to do my best in whatever I undertake. It’s not always easy. It’s painful. I cry. Sometimes I wonder, "Why do I have to live like this?" But I want to be unashamed of myself and be a role model for my child. The world always requires challenges, big or small, and whether you do them properly or half-heartedly is your choice. I can’t stand things ending as if they were nothing. Once the stage is set and the direction is clear, what else can you do? "You can quit anytime. But just paddle one more time. Swim one more lap." That’s how I swim. Doing so brings a sense of accomplishment and feeling healthier. I want my child and my staff to feel that too.

Makeup artist Jung Saem Mool. Photo by Heo Young Han younghan@

- What is the driving force behind such challenges?

▲ I started working at 17. Back then, there were 68 students in one class, and I spent my teenage years feeling disappointed and resentful, wondering why I was living like this. At that time, I worked part-time at Yonsei University. Tear gas exploded, and a female college student died right in front of me. Tear gas fell near me, and I fainted and was taken home. But 30 years later (in 2016), I went back to Yonsei to give a special lecture. Seeing the large main gate again, it looked so small. Back then, college and graduate students seemed so big, but now small students came up to me saying, "Take a photo," "Please sign." Within those 30 years lies the direction I must take now. No one knows how long it takes to go from the lowest to the highest position, but no one can say "You can" or "You can't." I believe it’s very important to keep walking the path I believe in, whether others see it or not.

- Then, what is the current ongoing challenge?

▲ I want to show that Jung Saem Mool Beauty has "this." I think the unique lines, colors, and textures are important parts to focus on. Sometimes, makeup requires exaggeration, layering designs thickly to create colors that are not your own. But if the difference is big when you wipe off all the makeup, you suddenly look shabby. So I want people to slightly enhance their unique colors so that it looks like they are wearing nothing, but they realize how beautiful their skin’s texture and color are. Also, instead of shaving off all the unique eyebrow hairs to make everyone’s eyebrows the same type, I want people to realize that the harmony between their unique eyes and eyebrow hairs is beautiful in itself. Even without exaggerated decoration, it’s beautiful, and the moment you believe that, your inner self begins to change.

- You have faced many difficult moments in life, like when you were hit by tear gas. How did you overcome them?

▲ It’s a clich?, but I believe the saying "A crisis is an opportunity." I was in crisis since my teens. That crisis became an opportunity. I truly learned by hitting rock bottom. It was the same in my 20s, 30s, and even now. There were many times I sat down on the ground and cried my heart out. My sister and I resolved the huge debts my father left behind. I made a huge amount of money in business but lost it too. My husband was the branch manager of a Japanese cosmetics company, but there was a crisis when the Japanese boycott movement suddenly arose. We survived COVID-19. Before COVID-19, Garosu-gil was the holy ground of K-Beauty. It became a ghost street during the pandemic. We endured paying rent and labor costs. We went through a tunnel with no end in sight. Ultimately, I believe that everyone involved must sincerely do their best with core strength. Also, when everyone works in harmony, results come. That’s why people are important.

Makeup artist Jung Saem Mool. Photo by Heo Young Han younghan@

- You are currently both a makeup artist and a businesswoman. Which profession suits you better?

▲ I am not a businesswoman. There are experts in that field. I am someone who is developed in design and art planning and only handle that area. Business-wise, I am not developed. Each expert performs to their fullest ability, and the stage is set for such a team to move forward with one heart.

- What do you consider your greatest achievement in life?

▲ Being able to swim at 54 years old. (laughs) That seems to be my biggest recent achievement. It was the most frightening thing in the world. I have achieved a lot through work, but the sense of accomplishment from enduring muscle tears and breathlessness to the point of tears is huge. I kept telling myself, "I can quit anytime, but let me try one more time," and gradually swam from 50m, 100m to now 600m. The first lap and the first 20-30 minutes are still scary. But after 30 minutes, I gradually feel better. It may be nothing to some, but for me, swimming with the fear of crossing the threshold of death was my biggest challenge and achievement.

- What would you like to say to your senior and junior female colleagues in society?

▲ Don’t give up. You can always quit and stop, so just try first. Also, be kind to yourself. I believe that you must recognize and love yourself to be able to recognize and love others. When you face your inner self and see what is most beautiful about yourself, you naturally see your dark side too. Don’t feed that dark side; feed the bright side. You can’t cut off the dark side, but you can weaken it. Then, at some point, good people will be around you, and that becomes your strength to live.

About Director Jung Saem Mool

She began her career as a makeup artist in 1991 and is credited with popularizing "transparent makeup." Starting with the top star actress Lee Seung-yeon, she handled makeup for actresses like Kim Hee-sun, Ko So-young, and Kim Ji-ho from the 1990s to the early 2000s. Later, she worked with top domestic stars such as Kim Tae-hee, Lee Hyori, Jun Ji-hyun, Song Hye-kyo, and even global stars like Tang Wei. In 2006, she suddenly went to study in the U.S., focusing on fine arts and anatomy. After returning to Korea, she launched the cosmetics brand 'Jung Saem Mool Beauty' in 2015, emphasizing "the most authentic beauty," and started her business. She currently leads Jung Saem Mool Beauty, Jung Saem Mool Inspiration, and Jung Saem Mool Academy.