Park`s Secret of Success in Family and Business

I did it my way. Park Maeng-ho, who is turning 70 years old this year, still is the first person to come to work. As he arrives in the office on the fifth floor of Kangnam Publishing Culture Center in Shinsa-dong, Seoul, the president of Mineumsa looks through reader comments on the books he published.

˝To me, publishing books is like magic. I am addicted to it. I will do it again if I am born again.”

In fact, Park has his own diversification strategy. He believes `choosing characteristic books is most important`. He is also a man of insight when it comes to prepare for what is to come. So he successfully stuck to poetry and collections.

It was Mineumsa`s `Great Poets of Today` that first introduced the left-to-right writing of poems. Park also laid the foundation for popularization of poems. He honored great writers like Lee Mun-yeol and Han Su-san, and poets like Hwang Ji-woo and Jang Jung-il by establishing `Writer of Today` and `Kim Su-young Award.`

Then, later he published `Story of Three Nations` in modern-day language version so that people could understand the epic more easily. The present-day collection sold more than 13 million copies. When most publishing companies had little interest in book designing, he found the flare of Jung Byung-gyu, then editor of Mineumsa, and urged him to pioneer the new business area.

Believing `publishing is a venture business,` he advises young publishers to introduce books that meet the needs of contemporary readers instead of seeking to hit the jackpot.

˝Having started from the scratch, I was lucky to meet a lot of talented and hardworking people. My work has allowed me to meet and discuss with young people. I find myself changing all the times thank to this creative job. ˝

Okay to have a business family, No to run a family business!

The father and three children meet every Monday to have a weekly meeting. The presence of three young-generation managers brings a synergy effect for his father`s business.

Their father, on his part, never tries to dictate or teach them what to do and what is right. When asked how he could raise three young entrepreneurs, Park answered `he just let them be what they would be`.

˝My father was running a rice mill in a small town, and he wanted me to carry on his business but I didn`t. So I couldn`t ask them. ˝

Park emphasized that what`s most important in life is people. ˝It may be because they are young. They are all egoists and I often tell them if you trust someone that someone becomes a trustworthy person. ˝

The three children listen to their father because they admire him as a leading publisher. ˝I just can`t beat our father who has published books for the last 40 years. Sometimes his intuition gives me a chill. ˝

mskoh119@donga.com