She was 48.
All she had was 300,000 won (about $220).
With that, she bought a street cart and began selling tteokbokki.
On her very first day, the cart was seized by the local district office.
But she didn’t give up.
She visited the office in person and pleaded her case.
Eventually, she got her cart back—and that’s how her journey began.
Unable to eat red beans or soy,
she brought sweet potatoes to eat herself.
She stuffed them into the dough and cooked them like fish-shaped buns.
Curious students asked about them, and she shared a few.
That unexpected gesture turned into her best-selling item.
She started developing more fillings—cheese, chili, cream cheese.
Her small cart in the streets of Sinchon quickly became famous.
But the summer heat made it hard to continue.
She then turned to waffles.
She developed 12 kinds of homemade cream fillings.
The lines grew longer.
Students even joked that this was a “Waffle University”
alongside Yonsei, Ewha, and Sogang.
That name stuck.
Waffle University became the brand.
She dreamed of opening a shop inside a subway station.
One day, she applied for the lease, thinking,
“Why not? Maybe someday it’ll work.”
She won the bid.
But there was no money for the deposit.
She borrowed 40 million won ($30,000+) from four fellow street vendors.
No contracts, no conditions—just trust.
In one year, she paid it all back.
She said,
“I didn’t do this to be rich.
I just wanted to live debt-free and raise my kids normally.”
Today, Waffle University has over 350 stores nationwide.
Its annual revenue in 2024 was 70 billion won ($52 million).
It’s even entered the U.S. market—starting in Las Vegas.
The brand’s mission?
To give hope to aspiring entrepreneurs.
The motto?
“Rise up, hand in hand, let’s go together to the world!”
Now, people don’t call her CEO.
They call her President—of Waffle University.
리어카에서 와플 제국으로: 와플대학 ‘총장님’의 이야기
그녀는 48세, 가진 건 30만 원뿐.
리어카로 시작한 떡볶이 장사는 첫날 구청 단속에 무너졌지만
직접 찾아가 되찾았고, 붕어빵으로 전환했다.
자신이 먹으려 넣은 고구마 붕어빵이 학생들에게 인기였고,
치즈·칠리·크림치즈 등 속재료로 신촌의 명물이 되었다.
더운 여름, 와플로 전환.
12가지 수제 크림을 개발했고,
학생들이 “와플대”라 부를 만큼 유명해졌다.
입찰에 당첨됐지만 보증금이 없어
노점상 네 명에게 천만 원씩 빌렸다.
1년 만에 모두 갚았다.
그녀는 말했다.
“잘살고 싶었던 게 아니라, 아이들과 평범하게 살고 싶었다.”
지금 그녀는 전국 350개 와플대학 매장을 운영 중이고,
K-와플로 미국 라스베가스에도 진출했다.
사람들은 이제 그녀를 CEO가 아니라
‘와플대학 총장님’이라 부른다.