[비즈한국] It has been confirmed that Kim Bong-jin, chairman of Grande Clip and founder of Baedal Minjok, has sold the apartment in Dapsimni-dong, Seoul, that he held for 11 years. Following this, Chairman Kim's address on his corporate registration was changed to Hannam-dong. As the new address was identified as the residence of his longtime business partner, attention is being drawn to the background behind this move.
"Relocated to maintain a domestic address for receiving mail and other needs"
According to Bizhankook's investigation, Chairman Kim Bong-jin of Grande Clip sold his apartment in Dapsimni-dong, Seoul, last year. This apartment was purchased by his spouse, Seol Bo-mi, in 2014 and held for approximately 11 years. Ms. Seol signed a sales contract for 1.73 billion won last September and transferred ownership to the buyer in February of this year.
What catches the eye is the change in Chairman Kim's address on his corporate registration thereafter. While the address had previously been the Dapsimni-dong apartment, it was changed to an apartment in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, early this year along with the transfer of the apartment's ownership. This address is also the residence of accountant Kang Dae-jun, who has maintained a relationship with Chairman Kim for over 10 years.
Accountant Kang is a CPA and tax accountant formerly with Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers, primarily advising startups on accounting, tax, and management. He is also active externally, running a YouTube channel and publishing books. It is known that he first met Chairman Kim in 2013 at a lecture for young people and maintained their relationship through joint social contribution activities. After Chairman Kim left Woowa Brothers and founded Grande Clip, Kang became a key business partner handling investment and financial operations.
Currently, as CFO of Grande Clip, Kang is responsible for overall financial operations including investments, contracts, and fundraising. At the investment subsidiary Grande Clip Partners, he serves as the sole internal director, managing existing investment assets. At the F&B subsidiary Grande Clip F&B Korea (formerly Snow M), he has taken over as the executive director from Seol Bo-mi, handling administrative duties.
The explanation for why Chairman Kim changed his address to Accountant Kang's home is due to administrative needs arising from his residence abroad. Accountant Kang explained, "Chairman Kim's family currently resides in Singapore. As they were disposing of the Dapsimni home, they needed an address in Korea to use for corporate registration and receiving mail, so I provided the Hannam-dong address." He added, "Chairman Kim does not actually live there, nor has he signed a lease. We have also notified the community service center of his non-residence status."
3 Years Since the Launch of 'Grande Clip'... Reducing Investment Corporations, Expanding Company Builders
Chairman Kim stepped down as chairman of the board of Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baedal Minjok, in July 2023. He launched 'Grande Clip' with the goal of starting new businesses while simultaneously continuing to play a role in helping junior entrepreneurs. Chairman Kim established Grande Clip Korea, a company builder that creates brands or acquires and grows companies, and Grande Clip Partners, which handles startup investments and fund management. If Grande Clip Korea is an operating company for 'new challenges,' Grande Clip Partners was an investment entity to materialize 'support for juniors.'
Three years later, the presence of these two corporations has changed significantly. While Grande Clip Korea is growing in scale, the investment firm Grande Clip Partners is effectively a dormant corporation. According to Bizhankook's investigation, Grande Clip Partners reduced its capital from 10 billion won at the time of its founding to 2 billion won in March 2024, and further cut it to 900 million won in December of the same year.
The organization was also significantly downsized. CEO Joo Jong-ho, internal director Dong Hyun-je, and other non-executive director Park Il-han, who held positions at the time of founding, all resigned simultaneously in December 2024. Former CEO Joo and former director Dong are former Woowa Brothers employees recruited by Chairman Kim Bong-jin when launching Grande Clip Partners.
The reason Grande Clip Partners drastically reduced its capital and organization was the withdrawal of its initial plan to register as a New Technology Business Finance Company. This entity is a financial firm that invests in startups or new technology companies and manages investment funds. Registration requires a minimum capital of 10 billion won, so Chairman Kim launched the company with that amount. However, after reviewing the requirements and regulations, such as the assessment of major shareholder eligibility and securing specialized personnel, the plan was abandoned.
With the cancellation of the registration plan, the reason to maintain 10 billion won in capital disappeared. Grande Clip Partners reduced its capital to 900 million won through two capital reductions in 2024, but the corporation was not liquidated because existing investments remain. A representative from Grande Clip Partners stated, "New investments are currently suspended, and we are only managing the assets of the two startups we previously invested in."
However, the 'support for juniors' advocated by Chairman Kim continues through different methods. Chairman Kim identifies junior entrepreneurs and provides small-scale investments and management advice through Current Partners, a startup investment firm. The company explains that Current Partners has invested in over 30 startups so far.
The company builder business, which creates and grows brands directly, is on an expansionary trend. Following the launch of the mix coffee brand 'New Mix Coffee' in 2024, Grande Clip acquired AMCR, the operator of the golf wear brand 'Amazingcre,' and the lodging platform Stayfolio.
A Grande Clip representative explained, "Rather than investing in new startups, we are currently focusing on investing in our own businesses. Under the direction of promoting Korean content to the world, we are pursuing various projects, including a cosmetics business in the U.S. and a meal kit business in Vietnam."