"My Husband Thought It Was a Total Failure"... Confessions of a 'Book Enthusiast' Who Preserves Beauty [Power K Woman]

Interview with Park Sojung, CEO of Green Ray
"I feel happiest when I connect with readers"
"I want to continue preserving beauty in my work"

On the 18th of last month, I met Park Sojung, CEO of the one-person publishing company Green Ray, on the top floor of a building in an alley in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. As sunlight streamed through the large windows into the office, which was painted entirely white, the space was filled with warmth. Sunlight also illuminated the red, orange, green, and blue books placed throughout the office, adding color to the space. These books are classics that Green Ray has published since 2019. As the space suggests, CEO Park is truly someone who loves beauty. As the head of a one-person publishing company, she finds joy whenever people empathize with and respond to the things she loves.

Park Sojung, CEO of Greenlight, is posing before an interview at the office in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Park’s career did not begin in the world of books. She started as a human resources manager at a company, but she always had a book in her hands. She was what you might call a ‘book enthusiast,’ always recommending interesting books to those around her. Her personal taste ultimately led to the success of her one-person publishing company. Park advises women, “I hope you challenge yourself in areas like entrepreneurship while you’re even a year younger. Even if you fail, that experience becomes an asset, not a liability.” The following is a Q&A with her.

-When did you start loving books?

I loved books from an early age. People my age can probably relate-my parents bought me a set of world literature classics when I was young. But since our family wasn’t well-off, my father brought home a set of world literature published in 1978 from a secondhand bookstore. When I read those books in lower elementary school, I felt as if I was traveling all over the world. Reading them every day, I naturally came to realize that books can transport people to different worlds.

Park Sojung, CEO of Green Ray, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the office in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-Your first career wasn’t related to books.

That’s right. I worked as a human resources manager at a college admissions platform company. There were about 300 people at the company, most of them developers. I found human resources work very appealing. Helping people advance to better situations was rewarding. If I had stayed at that company, I probably would have considered a career in education or as a leadership lecturer after retirement.

-But what made you decide to leave the company?

When I entered my thirties, I started thinking seriously about my career. I considered financial stability and sustainability, but above all, I reflected on whether this job truly made me happy. I wanted to be doing what I loved most by the time I turned forty. But that wasn’t the case. Listening to others’ stories for so long made me feel like my own identity was fading. So I thought about what made me happiest, and it always came back to books. I was happiest when I read a book and recommended it to someone who then enjoyed it. Even at work, when I explained a book, people wanted to buy it.

At first, I considered opening a bookstore. At the time I left the company, small bookstores were becoming popular. But for a small bookstore to succeed, the owner’s identity must be closely aligned with the store. My identity didn’t fit with staying in a bookstore all day. Even in HR, I always worked in the office, and I wasn’t sure I could continue that in my second career. Also, bookstores are spaces exposed to customers, so you can’t decorate them exactly as you wish. That’s why I chose publishing, where I could meet many people outside the store.

Park Sojung, CEO of Greenlight, is posing ahead of an interview at the office in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-Weren’t your family members worried when you said you would run a one-person publishing company?

At my age, I think I’m too much of an adult to make decisions only after consulting my family. My husband didn’t say much-he just told me, “Do as you wish, but take responsibility for the outcome.” However, when I decided to publish Honor? de Balzac’s “The Unknown Masterpiece” as my first book, my husband secretly thought it would be a complete failure.

He wasn’t the only one who thought that. People around me also discouraged me from publishing “The Unknown Masterpiece.” But I didn’t see any problem. The money required to start a one-person publishing company was only about the amount of my severance pay. I didn’t consider losing my severance pay to be a huge blow to my life. As long as something doesn’t seriously harm my health, I believe every experience is beneficial to life.

-Why did you choose “The Unknown Masterpiece” as your first publication?

I thought it was most important to show the company’s direction through the first book. You can’t just publish any book, but no prominent writers are going to give their manuscripts to a one-person publisher. Also, I didn’t know much about how to purchase copyrights. So I considered what was the highest-level manuscript I could access in my current situation, and the answer was the classics. Classics are books that have survived because they have been validated over a long period. Moreover, since their copyrights have expired, they are more accessible than other manuscripts.

However, I needed to differentiate myself from large publishers that also release classics. I thought about what kind of identity my publishing company should have and what kind of books I wanted to create. The books I wanted to make were those that mixed love, beauty, and desire. That’s why I chose “The Unknown Masterpiece.” This book actually foresaw modern art. The fact that such a novel was written before modern art truly began is fascinating. I also thought that today’s readers, who are more familiar with modern art than readers of the past, would be able to relate to it even more.

On the 18th of last month, I visited the office of Green Ray, a one-person publishing company in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It is located on the top floor of a building in Gongbyeongseon Alley.

-Have you ever faced difficulties while running the publishing company?

Not yet. In fact, I regret not starting sooner. As an employee, you encounter many variables between organizations and people that you can’t control, and it’s easy to get swept along by them. But when you start your own business, you can do what you want. Of course, there’s the burden of having to take responsibility for the results, but most of the factors are within my control.

-So when have you felt happiest running the publishing company?

When I form a sense of connection with readers. There’s a book by author Shin Hyungchul called “Community of Feeling.” Literature deals more with emotions than with reason. When readers love the books my publishing company puts out, it feels like experiencing an emotional community. Every time I experience this community, I feel a thrill. I think that thrill is what keeps editors motivated to continue working.

-Have you ever thought about writing a book yourself?

I could write something about my own experiences, but I don’t plan to write a book myself. Because I read so much, I can objectively assess my own writing ability. I still think I’m far from being able to write a book. Instead, as an editor, I’m happy and fulfilled just by selecting good manuscripts and creating a community of feeling. I think I’ll continue to live this way in the future.

Park Sojung, CEO of Green Ray, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the office in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-Among the books published by Green Ray, there is “The Abyss of Happiness,” a collection of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, famous for “The Great Gatsby.” In this book, there’s a line that says, “The second half of life is a long process of losing various things.” In the second half of your own life, what do you think you will lose, and what do you most want to keep?

Of course, I will lose my youth. Especially in literature, the theme of losing youth is often explored. I will do my best, but reading this book helped me practice calmly accepting the loss of youth.

However, I definitely want to keep beauty. By beauty, I don’t mean just external beauty. I have my own territory of what I consider beautiful. In this territory, there are tastes that can form a sense of connection and sentences that decorate books. I want to continue working to preserve beautiful tastes and beautiful sentences.

-Do you have any advice for women considering starting a business or entering the publishing industry?

I hope you take on the challenge of starting a business while you’re even a year younger. Especially if you have a strong sense of taste and the confidence to create a community of feeling, all the more so. Even if you fail, that experience becomes an asset, not a liability. Of course, authors are at the center of publishing, but now is an era where we also pay attention to how books are planned and the process by which they are produced. I think now is the perfect time to take on the challenge of publishing.

Of course, you may not make a lot of money. But success isn’t limited to money or fame. For those determined to firmly establish their own territory, publishing is an incredibly attractive field.

▶About Park Sojung, CEO of Green Ray

She majored in Korean Language and Literature at Sookmyung Women’s University. After more than ten years of working in the corporate world, she founded the literary publishing company Green Ray in 2019. With the motto “Make what is valuable beautiful, and what is beautiful valuable,” she creates books that are beautiful both in content and form. Works such as Albert Camus’s and Fran?oise Sagan’s have all become bestsellers at major bookstores.