How a Former Bodyguard Revolutionized Private Security in Korea

At one point in time, the private security industry in South Korea was almost a wasteland. A former Blue House bodyguard, who dared to venture into this uncharted territory, has now emerged as a chairman, recording hundreds of billions in sales. Having established a security company in 1994, he now runs a company with over 500 employees and embarked on his third life as a trot singer in 2019. The man behind this story is Baek Bong Hyun, the founder of Kosses Group, South Korea’s largest comprehensive security service company.

Baek loved sports from a young age, never neglected his studies, and nurtured a dream of becoming a police officer. Upon hearing about the recruitment of Blue House bodyguards, he reportedly applied and achieved his dream. Just three years into his career, Baek became a Blue House bodyguard. However, one day, he started to question his life at the Blue House.

At that time, a colleague who worked with him talked about overseas private security companies. Inspired by this, Baek decided to dive into the uncharted territory of private security. After conducting various investigations and despite the discouragement from those around him, he left the Blue House after 11 years.

A year later, he established the Korea Security Guard System, known as the first private security company in Korea. At that time, the concept of private security was not established in Korean society, making business operations challenging for a month. However, Baek’s efforts paid off, and his business began to flourish after securing the first contract.

As a former Blue House bodyguard, word spread that he provided presidential-level security, leading to contracts with many companies, including film companies and entertainment agencies. Consequently, Korea’s first private security company evolved into the country’s top private security firm.

Things weren’t always rainbows and sunshine. Baek also faced crises. His employees started leaving the private security company he was leading, and at the time of renegotiating contracts with companies he had been dealing with for years, the companies almost switched to another company established by his former employees.

Recalling those times, Baek said, “I never wanted to give up.” To overcome the crises, he began by taking care of his close employees. By thinking from the employees’ perspective and addressing their needs, he managed to restore the trust and relationship with his clients.

Baek later changed the name of Korea Security Guard System to Kosses Korea and became the CEO of a company leading over 500 employees. Kosses Group consists of affiliates such as Kosses Guard, Kosses Korea, Kosses USA, and Kosses Tech, and is known to record an annual turnover of around $25 million.

Baek didn’t stop there and threw his hat into a new world. In 2019, he released an album and made his debut as a trot singer. Becoming a trot singer was something unimaginable in his life plan. He happened to sing a song at a composer’s studio he visited with a friend, and the composer recognized Baek’s trot sensibility and tone.

Baek has been continuously challenging new worlds, from being a presidential bodyguard, the chairman of the first private security company in Korea, and to being a trot singer. To date, Baek has released four albums and written over ten songs. Regarding this, Baek said, “My dream of being a literary youth, which I fostered while serving as a literary club president in high school, has finally come to fruition.”

Meanwhile, Baek revealed that he was threatened by organized crime gangs when he established the Korea Security Guard System. At that time, the concept of private security was almost non-existent in Korean society, and it was mainly dominated by these gangs. With Baek’s entry into the industry, organized crime lost its foothold. One gang threatened that he should sell the company for $1.67 million.

Baek admitted that he felt worried and scared for his family, but he could not accept the offer for the sake of his security philosophy and the future of Korea’s security industry. If Baek had accepted the deal, the Korean security industry would not have been able to achieve the current level of service quality and safety it has today.