Name, Kwak Ji-won

Occupation, Baker

1. Can you give a brief description of the work you do?

I bake bread, and teach students how to bake it. At the class, I usually teach Korea Occupational Training College students and the people who want to open their own bakeries. Moreover, I run my own bakery in Seoul.

2. Is there any special reason why you chose this job?

Actually, I majored in Economics at Konkuk University. After I graduated from KU, I worked at company until I was 30 years old. Meanwhile I worked at company, I was concerned about how long I could work. I thought I would need a professional skill to work for a long time. Therefore, I went to Japan and France to learn baking.

3. Why did you choose baking out of all the professional skills?

In general, in order to live, people need housing, food, and clothes. I thought food was the most important thing because we can live without housing, and clothes, however, we cannot live without food. Moreover, bread is a worldwide food. Thus, I can live anywhere in the world if I learn the baking skills.

4. What is your favorite bread?

I like Lodève the most. It is similar to Ciabatta. It tastes very mild. I want to develop bread like rice. Lodève is the bread that we can eat everyday like rice. What I want to make is staple bread that people do not get tired of.

5. Are there any difficulties working as a baker?

There is no easy work in the world. However, baking is relatively hard to learn, and a baker has to bake everyday. I bake bread today, and I will do it again tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I am little sick of this routine. However, I think it is a fight with myself, thus, I try my best to win this fight. After I win this fight, I would get paid based on how much worked, and this would give me the power to do it again.

6. When was the most proud moment while working?

I taught baking to 150 students on how to bake bread. They studied hard, and it was very nice for me to see them do this. Moreover, 90 of them opened their own bakeries, and it was a proud moment for me and them.

7. Do you have anything to say to people who want to be a baker?

It is hard to learn the baking skills. In particular, learning baking skill involves your physical skills, so it is harder than you think. However, when you achieve this, you then have the big advantage of being a special person. Many people will acknowledge you thanks to your skills. After you get baking skills, you need to show your skills by baking bread and not focus on popularity. Those bakers who pursue fame too much, often show their skill by acting as a celebrity. You cannot keep this for a long time. Therefore, you need to show your baking skills through your products.

8. Do you have a goal as a baker?

I will work my best until the age of 70 years old. After that, I will travel the world to find a delicious bread for six months. Especially, I want to travel to Spain first, because Spain is a passionate country like Korea. After six months, I will come back to Korea to teach many students and bake. I have a dream about making delicious and healthy bread and allow Korean people to live on a diet of bread.