[Sports Chosun Reporter Jung An-ji] Jung Joon-ha shared the difficulties of being a self-employed business owner.
On the 13th, a video was posted on the YouTube channel ‘Face Genius Cha Eun-soo’ titled “Using the 20th anniversary of Infinity Challenge as an excuse to hold a dinner at Joon-ha Hyung’s restaurant [EP Jung Joon-ha].”
That day, Park Myung-soo visited the sushi restaurant operated by Jung Joon-ha. Seeing the crowded customers just two hours after opening, Park Myung-soo commented, “The business is doing well. You should stop broadcasting and just do business. It seems like you can make a living without broadcasting.” Jung Joon-ha replied, “I sometimes think it’s better to run a business than to do several broadcasting gigs. But I plan to continue broadcasting.”
Park Myung-soo then suggested, “It seems better to appear on ‘Self-made Tycoon.’ You really seem like a tycoon,” to which Jung Joon-ha responded, “I run five stores, but there are one or two that are struggling. One of them will close tomorrow after 8 years. It suffered a lot since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Park Myung-soo inquired about the store’s sales, and Jung Joon-ha revealed, “We make about 10 million won on weekdays and 15 to 20 million won on weekends,” but then lamented, “The monthly rent, including VAT, is 32 million won,” causing laughter. He added, “Including part-timers, we have over 20 employees. Last month, excluding wages, we spent 45 million won on part-timers alone. After paying rent, material costs, and management fees, there’s still profit, but it’s used to cover the Apgujeong store’s losses, which went bankrupt and will have its last day of operation tomorrow.”
Park Myung-soo straightforwardly asked, “Does the monthly sales reach around 400 million won?” Jung Joon-ha replied, “I’m in a partnership. Even then, there’s not much left. The cost of fish has also increased a lot,” and added, “Mostly, it just leaves a feeling of emptiness. Many people come from all over the country hearing rumors. Some approach us very friendly, while others don’t. Sometimes it’s really hard.”
To Park Myung-soo’s question, “Are there instances of dine-and-dash?” Jung Joon-ha admitted, “There are a lot. Just the day before yesterday, someone came alone, ate, left their clothes, and didn’t return,” illustrating the challenges faced by self-employed business owners.
He continued, “What’s more infuriating is when people, whom we treat well, try to leave unnoticed. Once, someone even called a taxi to escape. By zooming in on the CCTV, I managed to catch the taxi’s license plate. I reported it to the police because I was so angry,” revealing that he had taken legal action.
Jung Joon-ha explained, “Two people came and both assumed the other had paid. That’s the most common excuse.” Park Myung-soo emphatically stated, “I think they should face legal consequences.”