"Washing and Reusing Toothpicks"… The Millionaire Secrets of 92-Year-Old Park Hae-ryong

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Park Hae-ryong, a titan of the pharmaceutical industry who reinvented himself as a painter at age 70 and is known as a "92-year-old millionaire," revealed his exceptional spirit of frugality.

On the 21st, Park Hae-ryong, the oldest millionaire in the history of the program, appeared on EBS's "Seo Jang-hoon's Neighbor Millionaire." After transitioning to a full-time painter at age 70, Park completed more than 500 works over the past two decades. At his first solo exhibition, held five years after he began painting, all pieces sold out within a week, generating revenue of 40 million won. However, Park felt ashamed upon realizing that "honestly, they weren't sold; people bought them as gifts," and donated the entire proceeds.

The reason this childhood drawing prodigy fulfilled his dream of becoming a painter so late in life was "poverty." During the Japanese colonial period, his family fled to Manchuria together to make ends meet, and even after returning to Seoul at age 9, their circumstances rarely improved. At a time when painters were disparagingly called "painters," young Park saw top-tier artists painting theater marquees and abandoned his dream, thinking, "If I become a painter, I will live in poverty."

Instead of pursuing art, Park enrolled in a pharmacy college and joined a renowned pharmaceutical company after graduation. Starting as a regular employee, he rose to middle management in his 30s and became president in his 40s, enjoying an unstoppable career trajectory. However, after completing a one-year study abroad in the United States, Park suddenly resigned, shocking those around him. His reason was that "if I try to reclaim my position now, it would force my juniors to sacrifice."

Subsequently, at age 47, he used up his entire severance pay to acquire a pharmaceutical company struggling with deficits. Refusing even a presidential inauguration ceremony, he personally carried a bag and traveled across the country visiting pharmacies, staking everything on saving the company. In the bitter cold of winter, he would fully open pharmacy doors that were only half-opened, and buy charcoal briquettes to light stoves himself, winning over clients' hearts. Setting aside his title as president and his pride, he worked hard like a sales representative, and the company eventually turned a profit.

Park Hae-ryong's vibrant daily life, which defies his age of 92, was also revealed. He wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to paint for two hours, then takes care of his health with a home-cooked breakfast. After meals, he builds his physical strength at the gym and spends enjoyable time meeting friends of 80 years' acquaintance.

Contrary to his "millionaire" title, Park Hae-ryong's home was the epitome of simplicity. The living room featured an inexpensive sofa stained with paint, while a faded freezer over 30 years old occupied the kitchen. A lighthearted verbal sparring match also broke out between Seo Jang-hoon and Jang Ye-won over Park Hae-ryong's beloved shirt, which he had worn for 20 years. When Seo noticed the shirt was torn and riddled with holes and said, "I think you should throw this away," Park defended it firmly, saying, "It is a piece of clothing I cherish. Even if it is torn, no one will know when I wear it." Park's frugal habits, which included cutting a single sheet of toilet paper in half to use and washing toothpicks for reuse, prompted Seo to say, "I thought I was frugal too, but I need to strive even harder," eliciting laughter.

There was one place where such a frugal Park Hae-ryong did not spare money. At the age of over 80, he invested 10 billion won in his personal savings to establish an art museum on a 2,000-pyeong site in Yeju, Gyeonggi Province. This was because he wanted to contribute to society even as he aged. He gifted local residents the opportunity to enjoy culture and art, and provided artists with a precious stage to showcase their works.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original