Heo Kyung-hwan Opens Up About Betrayal and Business Success

On the November 25 episode of Channel A's '4인용 식탁' (Four-Person Table), comedian Heo Kyung-hwan shared his emotional journey after being scammed. During the show, host Yang Chi-seung mentioned that he invited close friends for a meal, highlighting their long-standing friendship in the chicken breast sales business, which Heo has been involved in for 14 years. Heo expressed his disappointment over Yang's recent decision to close his business in 2024, despite their competitive relationship, stating, "I wished for my brother's success, but it seems he struggled against many long-established competitors in the chicken breast market."

The conversation took a serious turn when Yang recounted his own experience of betrayal by a friend, which led to the closure of all his gym locations. Heo then revealed that he had been defrauded of 2.7 billion KRW (approximately $2.3 million) by someone he trusted in the chicken breast business. He shared his philosophy of maintaining a cautious level of trust to avoid disappointment, saying, "I’ve learned to trust people only to a certain extent to minimize the pain of betrayal."

Heo recounted a particularly shocking incident where the scammer, after being caught, reacted with indignation, claiming that Heo was the one at fault. This left Heo bewildered by the audacity of the situation.

Despite these past hardships, Heo Kyung-hwan has found significant success in his chicken breast business, achieving an impressive annual revenue of 58 billion KRW (approximately $49 million). He also reflected on a previous experience where he faced debts of 2 to 3 billion KRW due to a partner's fraudulent activities, describing it as a situation more dramatic than a movie.

His former business partner was prosecuted for embezzling 2.73 billion KRW from the food distribution company Heo led from 2010 to 2014. Additionally, the partner was charged with fraud for taking 100 million KRW and failing to return it, resulting in a sentence of three years and six months in prison along with a fine of 10 million KRW in 2021. Despite these challenges, Heo has successfully rebuilt his business and continues to thrive in the industry.