The life story of Ahn Young-hwan, who completed Korea's first hanok hotel consisting of 22 buildings, will be told through EBS's 'Seo Jang-hoon's Neighborhood Millionaire.'

After building a successful career as a computer engineer in the United States, Ahn Young-hwan left behind his stable job and high salary in the 1980s to return to Korea in pursuit of a new challenge. He later entered the real estate development business and, at the recommendation of an acquaintance, began a project to utilize rather than demolish a 150-year-old hanok, eventually running a Korean restaurant himself.

In the late 1990s, a time when hanoks were rapidly disappearing, Ahn sold his commercial property in Myeongdong to purchase old hanoks in Bukchon. Despite strong opposition from his family, he devoted two years to restoration work, which laid the foundation for his full-scale hanok hotel project. The massive construction costs were covered by the profits from his Korean restaurant and the proceeds from selling his Myeongdong building. After 15 years of major construction, a 22-building hanok hotel was completed on a 5,000-pyeong site.

This location also drew significant attention as the venue where President Lee Jae-myung and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enjoyed a banquet and traditional performances during the Korea-Japan summit this May.

Ahn displays museum-grade antiques, including the handwritten calligraphy of Yulgok Yi I and Uam Song Si-yeol, white porcelain, and high-end antique furniture, throughout various spaces in the hotel, offering guests a museum-like experience. Not stopping at mere exhibition, he actually sleeps on a 150-year-old bed and drinks tea from a 500-year-old cup, revealing his unique philosophy that 'rather than just keeping things on display, they should be used in everyday life.'

However, his journey was not without pain. He also experienced an incident in which 1,100 pieces of antiques he had collected over 30 years were destroyed in a fire in an instant. Recalling that time, Ahn expressed his heartbreaking feelings, saying, 'It would have been better if money had burned instead...'

Regarding his extraordinary obsession with hanok, he said, 'I cannot logically explain why I am drawn to them. It just pulls at my blood,' emphasizing that while others were tearing hanok down, he was building them.

The inspiring story of Ahn Young-hwan, who has devoted his life to hanok and antiques, can be seen on EBS's 'Seo Jang-hoon's Neighborhood Millionaire,' airing on Wednesday, July 8 at 9:55 p.m.