After sharing Korean skin care secrets in her debut book, Soko Glam founder Charlotte Cho has turned her attention to a different aspect of Korean culture for her second.
Cho’s latest tome, called “The Little Book of Jeong,” focuses on the Korean notion of Jeong: the deep emotional connection between people and places, objects and each other.
Cho counts the philosophy as the second of her two biggest takeaways from living Korea, the first of which being skin care. “Growing up in California, I moved to Korea, and was exposed to how beauty has so many different definitions. It really transformed my confidence levels. The second thing I learned was this concept of Jeong,” she said. “As I describe in the book, it’s a deep and emotional connection you can have with someone, and I felt like it was all around me in Korea.”
“It was something I really wanted to take with me even though I left Korea, and through the years, I’ve seen it work wonders in my personal and professional life,” Cho continued.
The book outlines the tenets of the philosophy — chapters share names like “There’s Nothing Like a Shared Meal to Nourish Jeong” and “The Power to Give Without Expecting Anything in Return” — and also has autobiographical elements of the young entrepreneur’s life.
“It’s part-memoir. I’m in my ninth year of my journey with Soko Glam and Then I Met You, and I wanted to take time to reflect on my journey as an entrepreneur,” Cho said, referring to the e-commerce site and skin care brand she founded. “I really also wanted to give credit to all of these deep connections and relationships that allowed me to achieve what I’ve achieved this far. It’s a memoir-slash-entrepreneurial book.”
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“It talks about how I knew nothing about skin care and nothing about being an entrepreneur or growing a business, but just had a very open mind when I went to Korea, and learned so much I wanted to share,” she continued.
Cho reasoned that the philosophy’s appeal are universal in the digital age. “It’s applicable to all ages, like Gen Z, who are growing up in the social media world. And even for people my age and older, it’s just a reminder of how important it is to nurture meaningful connections and how it can make such a positive impact in your life,” she said.
In light of the pandemic, that is particularly true. “We’ve just spent a year and a half in isolation, and we are craving deep and meaningful connections,” Cho said. “Hopefully, this book serves as a reminder that it takes constant time, effort, vulnerability, and giving without expecting anything to nurture these relationships.”
For more from WWD.com, see:
Soko Glam Founder Charlotte Cho Unveils Skin-care Brand
Charlotte Cho: Digital Is the Perfect K-beauty Platform
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