The Courageous Journey of a Triangular Kimbap Character

Kim Yi-eun embodies courage and creativity, transforming fears into a journey of self-discovery through her unique character, Samgyeopsal.

### The Courageous Journey of Creating a Unique Food Character
* 🍙  The triangular kimbap character, created by Kim Yi-eun, symbolizes **courage and resilience** in a world filled with **challenges and fears**.
* 🎨  Initially struggling to find a unique character concept, Kim discovered a **lack of food characters in Korea**, particularly for convenience stores, which inspired her to create a **triangular rice ball character**.
* 💪  Despite the competitive market dominated by cute animal characters, her **curiosity about how people would react to her creation** fueled her determination to move forward.
* 🌍  Kim Yi-eun's character, who lives in a food universe and bravely navigates the dangers of the human world, showcases the **struggles of food trying to survive amidst humans**.
* 📅  After overcoming her fears, she took the Samgyeopsal character to a character fair at 23, leading to a **significant collaboration with a major convenience store brand** that initially filled her with **excitement**.
* 😟  However, the reality of collaboration brought **anxiety and fear of losing her identity** as a creator, causing her to **question her direction and efforts over the years**.
* 🌱  Ultimately, Kim found renewed strength and courage to nurture her character independently, realizing that **fear and courage can coexist**, and she is committed to making **Samgyeopsal a global icon**.
* 👕  In her latest venture, she launched T-shirts and hoodies, embodying the **spirit of courage**, and she encourages others to **embrace their challenges**, just like her character Samgyeopsal.

You are really courageous. I don't think I could do that. You have such guts. I am someone who has to muster up courage and make resolutions every time, a rather weak person. Have you ever seen this character while passing by a convenience store? It's the triangular kimbap head with brave eyebrows. I created this character, and I hold the copyright. Today, I want to talk a bit about this triangular kimbap character I made. When I first tried to create a character, I really struggled with what kind of character to make. There are so many characters in the world, and creating one that stands out is not an easy task. However, I discovered something interesting: there aren't many food characters in Korea. There are characters for snacks and fruits, but not for convenience stores.

The signature triangular rice ball character was not there. So, I thought, This is it! and decided to go with a rice ball character. However, at that time, the character market was filled with cute and cozy animal characters, which made the path challenging. But I thought that if I followed that route, there were successful cases, and it could be relatively easier. Still, I wanted to try something new. I had fears about it not going well, but I was very curious about how people would react to the triangular rice ball character I envisioned. That intense curiosity gave me the courage I needed. After making that decision, I immediately started sketching the first draft of the character. Initially, it looked like this, but when my friends saw the character, they...

It's cute, isn't it? When I first saw it, I thought it was cute, so that was a good start. Then I thought, let's be friends, and that's how it was born. Kim Yi-eun, born into a world where she has courage amidst the harsh realities of human life, has a worldview where food exists. She lives in another food universe called Earth-3, but by chance, she falls into our Earth. Now, how scary is it for food to survive in the human world? There are dangers of being eaten and the risk of being trampled. Despite all these fears, this friend gathers her courage to search for her scattered food friends and starts wandering from convenience store to convenience store. While she was homeless in a convenience store, she was discovered by a human who mistook her for food. Just as the human was about to eat her, Kim Yi-eun mustered her courage and slapped him.

I attach it like this. That's how Samgyeopsal survived. As humans and Samgyeopsal began to coexist, they started doing house chores to earn rent and live together. So, how did Samgyeopsal become known in this world? I enrolled in a major that didn't suit me, which made it really difficult. The fear of needing to do something about my dreams also gave me the courage to take action. So, in the summer when I was 23 years old, I took the Samgyeopsal character to a character fair. I didn't just go to the fair randomly. There are three major convenience store brands in the country, and I selected the brand that seemed to fit me best and that I thought would work well as my target. It was my first time going to a fair, and I was really scared, not knowing what to do at all. However, I decided to take a leave of absence from school and attend the fair.

I am grateful to be participating. After the event ended, the person in charge of that convenience store followed my social media, and a year later, I received contact from them again, which was a very moving moment. During the year I worked on this, I often thought, Is it really hard to persuade the convenience store managers? and I had a lot of fears and thoughts. However, I continued to work steadily, and good results came from it. I gained great courage from realizing that the concept I planned aligned with the needs of the company. I dreamed of creating a world-class Korean character, making money, and even building a themed park for Samgyeopsal. At first, I was lucky and gained confidence, but the reality was not so easy. Do you know Tyson? Everyone has a plausible plan, right?

Until then, I had experienced a lot. When Samgim's first meeting with a company was scheduled, I was genuinely so excited. On the way there, I thought that if we successfully launched this project, it would be a time of great courage and enthusiasm. I hoped this opportunity would allow us to stand on the shoulders of giants and promote ourselves nationwide. I was filled with anticipation, thinking life would take a turn for the better. However, at that time, I was just 23 years old and an inexperienced young writer. I was so thrilled about our first collaboration with a large corporation, but I never imagined that such significant hardships would come our way. I believed that for Samgim to become well-known to the public, collaborating with a big company was essential, and I was genuinely afraid of being discarded by that company. In fact, collaboration is...

When companies provide various suggestions, I express my opinions, and this is the process of collaboration. However, I find it very frightening; it gradually diminishes my own color. I think that’s a good thing, but at the same time, I wonder why. It’s because I didn’t know much, and the fear that my decisions could be wrong was overwhelming. Since I didn’t have much knowledge, I couldn’t articulate logically, but I felt that if I was dragged along without any direction, my identity as Kim Mi would also fade away. I felt both fear and anxiety simultaneously. Ultimately, I spent several years trapped in the fear I had created, living in a state of overthinking. I kept wondering if this direction was right, and if I gave up this opportunity, what I could do instead. These thoughts wouldn’t leave my mind. At that time, even though I became well-known through collaboration, I was still struggling internally.

The affection I felt when I first created Kim Mi was gradually diminishing. The thoughts I had began to reflect in my work, and the authenticity of Kim Mi started to waver as well. I thought to myself, All my efforts until now are going to waste. I haven't achieved anything, and I feel like I'm just going to walk downhill. These thoughts terrified me. I was trapped in fear for several months, unable to see the direction I needed to take. I just kept pushing through, thinking that I had to earn money. I questioned whether I truly deserved to do this work, whether I had foolishly dreamed too big. I was living a daily life filled with avoidance and confusion. But one day, the Kim Mi figure caught my eye. As I stared blankly at this figure, I remembered the determination I had when I first created this character.

I remembered. Ah, I am really going to make this character a truly global character. I truly have no intention of holding back. That is the promise between Samgi and me. So, as that determination came back to me, I felt very ashamed of how weak I had been. Through Sammi, I gathered the courage to decide that instead of relying on a company, I would prioritize overcoming my love for Kimmi. I thought I should nurture this character independently, without blindly depending on others. Fortunately, I am gradually finding my courage now, and I am nurturing my affection for Samgi again. People often tell me, You are really courageous. I feel like I can't do it, but how are you so bold? from friends and various people around me. But I...

I'm not that kind of person at all. I have to muster up the courage every time, and I apologize. I am the weak person who has to make a resolution each time. Sometimes, I'm scared to connect with fans, and creating content often feels like I'm being judged every day. I wish someone would handle the difficult negotiations for me. Writing a delayed script also terrifies me, and I don't know what the future holds for me. Whenever opportunities arise, I try my best, and even when making friends who have lived different lives from mine, I actually feel scared. However, I will continue to overcome my fears and muster up courage. Through this, I have found the answer that fear and courage are now close together. For me, a student on a break who didn't know what to do with my life, fear became a trigger, and I slowly found the courage to pursue my dreams.

Through my experiences, I have actually become stronger. I may not seem strong now, but I have become resilient and can live a more diverse life. Therefore, Sammi is not just a simple character for me; she is like a companion in life. If any of you have challenges in your heart that seem a bit daunting, think of Sammi. This friend is living life with great effort.

Lastly, I would like to talk about my journey with Samgyeopsal and wrap things up. I am trying to overcome cultural and linguistic barriers to find friends scattered overseas. In the past, I lacked the courage to appear on screen, but now, whenever I have the opportunity, I actively communicate with fans and those who enjoy events like this. I will try to appear more often and muster up the courage.

I will do my best to become a global character, no matter what it takes. Even as I get older, please keep an eye on me to see if I continue. Now, this is the end of my talk about the three Kims. Thank you for your attention. 

This time, through a collaboration with Sebasi, we have created T-shirts. I gathered the courage to give a talk at Sebasi, and in a similar vein, there is a concept where Kim also finds the courage to give a speech in front of friends. Additionally, we created a hooded sweatshirt with the concept of not losing courage in front of a black hole and moving forward into the world. Please show a lot of love for the T-shirts and hoodies I made with affection. Thank you.

[책이벤트] 두려울 때마다 용기 내는 법 | 배은정 '삼김이' 작가 | #동기부여 #용기 #도전 #성공 #삼김이 | 세바시 1880회

더 좋은 세상을 위한 지식과 경험, 그리고 아이디어를 15분 강연 스토리로 나눕니다. 
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세바시 강연 Sebasi Talk

The Triangular Kimbap Character: Kim Yi-eun

The character Kim Yi-eun, with a triangular kimbap head and brave eyebrows, was created to stand out in a market filled with cute animal characters.

The unique concept of a food character, specifically a rice ball, was inspired by the lack of such characters in Korea's convenience stores.

Kim Yi-eun's journey in the human world is filled with challenges, as she gathers the courage to search for her scattered food friends and ultimately slaps a human who mistook her for food.

Samgyeopsal's rise to fame began with the owner's struggle to find their path and taking a leap of faith by attending a character fair.

The owner's determination and targeted approach led to a meaningful connection with a major convenience store brand.

Despite initial luck and confidence, the journey was filled with challenges and fears, highlighting the importance of collaboration with a big company for Samgyeopsal's public recognition.

Struggles with Collaboration and Identity

Collaboration has made me fearful and anxious, gradually diminishing my sense of self.

Despite gaining recognition, I felt trapped in overthinking and questioning my decisions.

The struggle to maintain my identity and authenticity led to a state of avoidance and confusion, until I was reminded of the determination I had when I first created Kim Mi.

The character's journey is about becoming globally impactful and overcoming personal weaknesses.

The determination to prioritize self-growth and nurture affection for Samgi is a key focus.

Despite feeling scared and judged, the character is committed to overcoming fears and using them as a trigger to pursue their dreams.

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Change

The speaker has become stronger and more resilient through their experiences, viewing Sammi as a life companion.

They are actively working to overcome cultural and linguistic barriers to connect with friends overseas and are committed to appearing more often to engage with fans.

The speaker has collaborated with Sebasi to create T-shirts and hoodies, promoting the message of courage and moving forward in life.