Kim Chang-soo, the "Bong-i Kim Seon-dal" of the Fashion Industry: MLB and Discovery

A business genius who earned hundreds of billions of won through a simple shift in perspective.
Built on a business model of purchasing exclusive licenses from the US and outsourcing production to external factories, he became an asset holder worth over 800 billion won.
While semiconductor fabless companies design their own substrates and cosmetic fabless companies have their own R&D departments, this model focuses on purchasing logo rights from the US, making him a true 21st-century "Bong-i Kim Seon-dal" (a legendary trickster/opportunist). From the perspective of the US MLB office or Discovery, they might have been bewildered at first.
This method is so simple that it is common for logo holders to get greedy, terminate contracts, and enter the market directly, but since he has continued to succeed, he seems to be paying royalties to ensure the US side remains satisfied.
Since manufacturing costs are low, there is no inventory management, and there is no need for internal R&D, the strategy is marketing-centric, focusing on brand awareness by using models like Karina.
The estimated stock asset value of Chairman Kim Chang-soo of F&F Group, which operates fashion brands such as Discovery and MLB, is approximately 866.5 billion KRW. (As of October 30, 2026, based on listed company stakes)
• Domestic Stock Wealth Ranking: 54th among all stock tycoons
[South Korea's Top 100 CEOs] F&F Chairman Kim Chang-soo | The 'MLB' success myth, once again with 'Discovery' Maeil Business Newspaper