By Lee Jong-hwan
Seoul, June 10(World Korean News)= I met President Lee Geun-soo at the Korean restaurant "Honey Pig" in Duluth, Atlanta. At that time, Kim Chong-hun, President of the Southeastern Korean Restaurant Association, also attended.
"We tried to hold a barbecue festival hosted by the association in Duluth on April 30, but we canceled it. The spread of omicron is also a problem, but the restaurant's manpower shortage due to COVID-19 is not being resolved."
Kim Chong-hun explained regretfully that major spring events planned by the association were canceled.
Kim Chong-hun inherited the President of the Korean Restaurant Association in the southeastern part of the country in 2020 from Lee Geun-soo, who founded and manages 'Honey Pig'. He is the successor chosen by Lee Geun-soo. Therefore, he seemed to receive a lot of advice from Lee when working with the association.
Honey Pig's main menu is "Cauldron lid pork belly." Grill pork belly, kimchi, and bean sprouts on a large Cauldron lid. Because this food is amazing to the eyes of local Americans and the taste is excellent, there are always many customers in the restaurant.
On weekdays, 85% of customers are local Americans, not Korean. On weekends, 90 percent of them are local Americans, especially young people.
As Honey Pig gained popularity, there was also a franchise store. A new store opened three years ago in Raleigh, North Carolina. The store is more than double the size of Duluth Honey Pig. The store was opened by Ko Jae-sik, former President of the Raleigh Korean Chamber of Commerce, the brother-in-law of Lee Geun-soo. There was also a shop that stole the name of Honey Pig from other place.
"It's lunch time now, so eat it lightly with kimchi stew. I think it's the most delicious and proud menu in the restaurant."
Kim Chong-hun ordered a meal. Since then, talks with Lee Geun-soo have taken place.
Lee came to the U.S. in 1991. He came straight to Atlanta from Korea. But a year later he moved to nearby Dalton. He then settled in Dalton, where he lived for as long as 23 years.
Dalton is famous for carpet production. Eighty percent of American carpets are produced there. Lee started a janitor business there. He expanded his business gradually. He extended his reach to nearby Chattanooga, Birmingham, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. During this time, he also served as President of the Chattanooga Korean Association, which Dalton belongs to. He also served as President of the Chattanooga Korean Chamber of Commerce.
It was in 2014 that Lee Geun-soo left Chattanooga and came to Atlanta. It was when the janitor contractor was merged with another company. He cleaned up the janitor business and went into the restaurant business. The opening of Honey Pig in Duluth in 2007 was a big hit. Honey Pig is run by his son.
"When I went to Korea one day, I saw a Cauldron lid pork belly restaurant. Based on this, I opened a restaurtant in Atlanta. It gained popularity. Customers lined up in front of the restaurant. Even the American media came and introduced it in articles. So there are more customers.”
There are frames hanging in his shop. They contain articles published by U.S. media such as "USA Today." The articles were titled "Embracing New Taste" and "Creative Looping." The magazine articles also included pictures of cooking.
Lee was born in 1939 in Sendagaya, Tokyo, Japan. His father's hometown is Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do. He came to Korea from Japan when he was liberated in 1945. Lee Geun-soo moved to the United States in 1991 after he turned 50 and started his business.
Lee served as the 25th president of the Southeast Korean American Association. He also served as the president of the Southeast Korean Restauran Association. He received the Biden Volunteer Award last November. He received the award along with Kim Baek-kyu, who has served in Atlanta's Korean community for a long time.**(This translation was sponsored by Oh Won-Seong, former chairman of the Korean Association of Dallas.)
