Chef Lee Jin-hwan, with 20 million won in monthly sales, and his mother's coffee business

The Harsh Reality Hidden Behind the 'Absurdist Comedy' Syndrome

Lee Jin-hwan, who debuted as a comedian in MBC's 11th open recruitment class in 2000, gained immense popularity through 'absurdist comedy' just six months after his debut. At the young age of 20–21, he enjoyed a heyday where he swept through nightlife stages and commercials, earning an income that was difficult for someone in their early 20s to handle at the time.

The glory did not last long. By the time he returned from military service, the broadcasting industry had already changed. The absurdist comedy that had swept the nation had vanished from the public's memory. Having lost his place, he jumped into the food service industry to make a living.

His first start was running a raw fish restaurant. While business thrived due to word-of-mouth, there was a customer who left a scar on him while he was working in the open kitchen. A drunk customer, looking at him in the kitchen, threw a derogatory remark, saying, "Is this what happens when a comedian fails—running a small local business like this?"

Lee Jin-hwan recalled that "a customer might say things while drunk, but I heard it," and that he snapped to his senses at that moment. He refocused his determination with the mindset of earning just enough to support himself without having to ask others for help.

Transformation into a Gangnam Omakase Chef: The Second Act of Life Infused with His Parents' Flavors

Lee Jin-hwan studied Japanese cuisine through self-study, even cutting back on sleep. After intense effort, he has established himself as a chef running a premium omakase specialty restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul. His restaurant is a single-person omakase establishment that pursues a harmony between Korean and Japanese cuisine, and it has already become famous enough to have reservations filled three months in advance. He revealed on a past entertainment program that his current monthly sales are around 18 to 20 million won.

His food contains a special philosophy. Unlike typical Japanese omakase, it is characterized by including Korean dishes, such as aged kimchi that carries his mother's touch, interspersed throughout the meal. He also uses organic produce grown directly by his parents on their 4,000-pyeong scale farm. He utilizes ingredients that embody his parents' hard work, saying, "I am collaborating by combining my mother's food with mine."

Lee Jin-hwan starts his day by visiting the Noryangjin Fisheries Market in the early morning every day. He is currently a 15-year veteran chef.

Belated Repentance Toward His Mother and a New Challenge

Behind his success, there was also guilt toward his mother. Through MBN's 'Scoop World', Lee Jin-hwan confessed to the times in the past when he felt ashamed of and avoided his mother, who used to sell coffee in the market. At that time, to support the family, his mother sold twenty cups of coffee but couldn't even say a harsh word to a customer, continuing her business while being called a 'fool.'

He tearfully said, "Now I know that I am able to live like this thanks to my mother. I am so sorry that I felt ashamed back then." On this day, he invited his parents to his omakase restaurant and served them food he made himself.

Lee Jin-hwan does not stop here. To master a type of cooking that others do not easily attempt, he is focusing on preparing for the 'Master Craftsman of Pufferfish' exam, the highest qualification related to pufferfish. He expressed his ambition, saying, "I want to run my restaurant for a long time in the future."

Daily Life of a Couple Who Met as Boss and Customer 5 Years Ago

In the episode of MBN's 'Scoop World' aired on the 16th, the daily life of comedian Lee Jin-hwan was revealed. Along with his image as a veteran chef visiting the Noryangjin Fisheries Market in the early morning, he shared his daily routine of preparing breakfast for his wife, whom he met as a boss and customer five years ago and eventually married.