EBS 'Seo Jang-hoon's Neighbor Millionaire' highlighted the dramatic life journey of timber company CEO Kim Jin-won. The show followed his life, which remains grounded in sharing and humility even after achieving success.

According to the broadcast, Kim Jin-won was born as the eighth of ten siblings in a rural town in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, and grew up in a difficult environment. As a child, he worked alongside his father in the woods and caught snakes to sell for a living. He shared an anecdote about facing a life-or-death crisis after being bitten by a snake, saying, "I sold a viper for 300 won, a small salamander for 500 won, and a large salamander for 1,000 won."

After dropping out of school at 16, he worked as a freight truck assistant for seven years. In his early 20s, he purchased an 11-ton truck and began his business in earnest, growing through timber transportation and distribution. While supplying materials to construction sites, he received pre-sale rights and owned 12 apartments, becoming a millionaire in his mid-20s.

However, at 33, the construction company he was dealing with went bankrupt, leaving him with 4 billion won in debt. After liquidating his debt by disposing of his assets, including his apartments, he returned to the driver's seat of a freight truck.

In 2008, he acquired a timber yard in lieu of an unpaid debt of 80 million won, launching his comeback. Despite a lack of operating funds, he scavenged for scrap wood and utilized the short drying time of New Zealand pine to produce affordable plank tables for gamjatang (pork bone soup) restaurant deliveries, which became a success. Building on this, he captured the No. 1 market share in the timber industry and grew the company into one holding 10 billion won worth of inventory.

Kim Jin-won also has experience competing as a jetski national team athlete at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. He expressed regret, saying, "I placed second in the first round and first in the second round, but I forgot to inspect my equipment in the third round and came in last." Currently, he runs the Leje Marina on the Han River, equipped with 11 jet skis and 7 boats, and supports younger jetski athletes.

With the profits from his timber business, he has been engaging in various philanthropic activities, including donating furniture to victims of floods and wildfires, providing scholarships for aspiring athletes, and hosting charity bazaars to help the underprivileged. Regarding why he sold his expensive imported luxury car, he explained, "Because I wanted to spend money on good causes."

Seo Jang-hoon expressed concern about the story of Kim delivering tables to a cafe and receiving eco-bags in return instead of money. In response, Kim stated, "To avoid losing my original intentions, I still go out to do day labor once a year. I don't want to put on airs; I want to live forever as a woodsman, just the way I am."

Meanwhile, 'Seo Jang-hoon's Neighbor Millionaire' airs every Wednesday at 9:55 p.m. and is also available for streaming on OTT platforms such as Netflix and Wavve.