[KOREA TOP CEO] Jang Pyung-soon, Chairman of Kyowon Group

Jang Pyung-soon, Chairman of Kyowon Group

[CEONEWS=Lee Min-young, Journalist] In an era when corporate success stories are often little more than glossy PR, the journey of Kyowon Group Chairman Jang Pyung-soon stands out for its depth, resilience, and consistent innovation. From humble beginnings—born in 1951 as the eldest son of a large family in a rural part of Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea—to steering his company through multiple business verticals, Jang’s story epitomizes the power of vision matched by a willingness to change course. Now celebrating Kyowon’s 40th anniversary, Jang is determined to transform his group yet again, this time to meet rising post-pandemic demands in education, lifestyle, and leisure.

 

Early Struggles and the Birth of a Sales Visionary

Jang’s story might have been very different if his plans to enter the civil service had succeeded. After graduating from Incheon High School, he spent time preparing for the administrative examination but fell short. Undeterred, he pivoted to entrepreneurial pursuits—famously turning a cabbage business in 1980 into a lucrative venture. Although he considered returning to public service, it did not take him long to realize that his talents were better suited elsewhere.

That turning point came at publishing giant Woongjin, where Jang joined as an entry-level salesperson. Within four months, he smashed sales records, moving volumes equivalent to two years’ worth of a typical college graduate’s salary. Promoted to team leader in a mere six months and then to division head in just a year, Jang harnessed his sales acumen and visionary thinking to climb the corporate ladder at breakneck speed. While these achievements are often cited in Korean media, few delve into the strategic insight behind those successes: Jang meticulously studied consumer psychology and reading trends, innovating sales scripts and training programs that remain part of modern direct-selling playbooks.

 

Founding Kyowon and Transforming Educational Publishing

By establishing an office in Seoul’s historic Insadong and hiring three employees, Jang created Kyowon Group’s precursor, the Central Education Research Institute, in the early 1980s. What began with a biweekly learning magazine—targeting middle-school students—soon gave rise to a wave of educational products. When Jang acquired the license for Japan’s Kumon program, he didn’t merely import a proven franchise; he adapted it, localizing lesson structures and introducing additional teacher training. This balanced global pedagogy with nuanced awareness of Korean academic culture.

However, the brand that really catapulted Kyowon to nationwide recognition is Red Pen, known originally for its personalized feedback on students’ worksheets. While most local media highlight its success as a ubiquitous name in after-school education, the deeper story is how Jang leveraged feedback loops—integrating teacher input, parental goals, and student performance data—to differentiate Red Pen from other workbooks on the market. That data-driven approach was well ahead of its time, particularly in an industry that, until then, relied on rote memorization and minimal customization.

 

Beyond Education: A Bold Diversification Strategy

As Kyowon grew, Jang charted a path that few educational publishers dared to follow. He launched Kyowon Travel, embracing a rising culture of experiential leisure and capitalizing on Korea’s growing middle-class appetite for organized tours. Initially, skeptics argued that travel was too far removed from education to ensure synergy. Yet Jang insisted that learning goes beyond classrooms, viewing travel as a form of real-world education.

Most recently, Kyowon’s KINOCK (a pet-friendly hotel concept) and Travel Easy captured first-place honors in their categories at the 2025 Korea Brand Hall of Fame. More than a marketing coup, these awards highlight Kyowon’s signature formula for success: invest deeply in niche but growing markets—be it families traveling with pets or discerning upscale travelers—and deliver meticulously designed services that exceed customer expectations. For instance, KINOCK’s emphasis on specially designed furniture and “flicker-free” lighting for pets isn’t just a small convenience; it points to extensive research on animal well-being and consumer preferences.

 

“The Second Founding”: Resilience Amid Economic Uncertainty

In a recent new-year address celebrating the group’s 40th anniversary, Jang declared that Kyowon must approach the future as if embarking on a “second founding.” This message resonated at a time when many companies worldwide brace for economic downturns. His confidence that Kyowon could still hire new staff in a climate of “mass layoffs” underscores an often overlooked facet of Jang’s leadership: a multi-layered direct-selling network that has remained profitable even under tough economic conditions. This network not only taps into unemployed or underemployed segments but also brings back veteran salespeople eager to rejoin a firm that gave them robust training and earning potential.

While much of the press focuses on Jang’s optimism, the deeper truth is that Kyowon’s resilience stems from a willingness to rethink distribution channels, not just product lines. Over the decades, Kyowon refined door-to-door sales into an art, eventually integrating digital platforms that support field agents with real-time data on customers’ preferences, family educational needs, and subscription histories. This synergy between analog relationships and digital insights fosters a unique kind of brand loyalty—one more akin to a community than a traditional corporate customer base.

 

“EDU-ization,” “Kumon-ization,” and “Wells-ization”: The Next Evolution

Looking beyond 2025, Jang has articulated three driving concepts—EDU-ization, Kumon-ization, and Wells-ization—indicating that Kyowon will fuse its educational expertise with home-appliance solutions (through its Wells brand) and membership-based services to create lifestyle ecosystems. Though still in nascent stages, these ecosystems may position Kyowon to compete on a global level with conglomerates that bundle devices and services under monthly subscription models.

There is scant mainstream coverage of how these three pillars might integrate, but preliminary insights suggest that future services could include everything from interactive home-education tools powered by Wells smart devices to travel packages for families seeking real-time academic support on the road. Jang’s vision implies a world where “learning” seamlessly blends with day-to-day living—a concept that might redefine home-based education and experiential leisure.

 

A New Home-Based Education Model for a Post-Pandemic Era

One of the group’s boldest moves is the Red Pen Homeclass, launching in February. Targeting children from ages three to eight, this weekly one-on-one tutoring service is designed to bolster both academic progress and “learning habits.” While the Korean market is crowded with private academies and online platforms, Homeclass differentiates itself through a project-based approach (for preschoolers) and integrated academic-content management (for early elementary students). Trained “Red Pen teachers” visit each home, armed with customized lesson plans and follow-up assignments that incorporate lifestyle routines.

Crucially, the system’s ability to gather feedback from both parents and children after each session allows for dynamic adaptation of future lessons. This approach leverages Kyowon’s longstanding data-driven ethos but now expands it to a more immersive, in-home experience. It recognizes the pandemic’s lingering impact on families who prefer or need more flexible, home-centered learning solutions, even in an era shifting back to face-to-face education.

 

Concluding Thoughts: A Legacy of Continuous Reinvention

What makes Jang Pyung-soon’s narrative compelling is not merely that he built an enterprise from the ground up, nor that he was a “national sales champion.” The true depth lies in his strategic readiness to pivot—from exam aspirant to entrepreneur, from single-genre publisher to multi-sector conglomerate, and from a localized educational business to an internationally recognized brand. His recent addresses and business moves signal yet another reinvention, as Kyowon seeks to harness its foundational strengths in education and direct selling to diversify into pet-friendly hospitality, premium travel, and integrated home solutions.

In contrast to the formulaic “rags to riches” tales often found in Korean business media, Jang’s story offers nuanced lessons about market timing, consumer insights, and the resilience of a well-trained sales force. Most importantly, it reveals a conviction that even in the face of economic downturns, there is always room to innovate—provided one is willing to listen to evolving consumer needs and marry that knowledge with unwavering execution.

As Kyowon Group enters its next phase, balancing heritage brands like Red Pen and Kumon with emerging verticals like KINOCK and Wells, the company stands as a fascinating case study of what happens when a single visionary repeatedly reimagines his organization—while never losing sight of the core mission to help people learn, grow, and ultimately live more enriched lives. Whether or not Jang’s high-stakes bets will pay off again remains to be seen, but the historical track record offers one certainty: betting against his adaptive spirit has never been wise.