A Bitter First Failure, Then a Pivot to Success

○ [News Story] The Inconvenience Others Overlooked: Niche Startups Breaking Through the Recession (June 29, 2026)

With high inflation leading to shrinking consumption and a prolonged domestic economic downturn, the 5.6 million self-employed individuals in Korea have been hit hard. The number of business closures has surpassed 1 million for the first time in history, and the number of new startups each year is also steadily declining. However, there are young entrepreneurs who have found opportunities by tapping into the niches of this recession.
Lee Seong-hee, in his early 30s, tasted failure with his first startup before pivoting to the used laptop trade, where he found success. His business involves purchasing used laptops, improving their performance, and reselling them. He is now on the verge of reaching 10 billion won in annual revenue this year.

Reported by Jung Jun-hyung | Written by Kim Da-yeon | Video by Choi Jun-sik | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.