- Kim Yong-seok, CEO of Alto Industry -
CEO Kim Yong-seok dropped out of high school due to family hardships and left home early.
He worked various jobs as a waiter, DJ, bartender, salesman, and server.
In 1992, he started a business by opening a coffee-shop style restaurant in Seongnam, and in 1994, he saved up enough to found Alto Industry Co., Ltd., an interior design firm.
Alto Industry gained recognition by winning interior contracts for Lotte Department Store, Newcore Department Store, and famous cafes.
From an interior designer's perspective, Kim felt that noraebang (karaoke) interiors at the time were too uniform, boring, and lacked a competitive edge.
He decided to introduce a unique interior concept and build his own noraebangs, aiming to squeeze into the market while the number of karaoke rooms was shrinking due to the IMF crisis.
In April 1998, Alto Industry shook the industry by opening 'Demolition Music Club,' a noraebang franchise.
They shocked people with a radical SF + Alien-themed design that was incomparable to existing noraebangs, and the impact was massive.
The SF horror vibeโfeaturing alien-like creatures, cave-like labyrinths, and rooms shaped like giant egg podsโwas incredibly experimental.
The interior components were made of flame-retardant FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic).
They even made the interior parts modular, so if a shop wanted to move, they could easily disassemble and reassemble the parts at a new location.
At first glance, it looks like a cheap movie set ripoff, but Kim and his team of 30 R&D and design staff spent nearly six months on the design, engineering, and installation.
It could have been a reckless move, but the radical design resonated deeply with the youth.
Combined with the 'End of the Century' (Y2K) vibes of the late 90s, it became a massive hit, earning the title of Korea's first major noraebang franchise.
In an interview, Kim said he always wanted to 'productize' interior facilities. His main income came from mass-producing and selling the interior parts rather than franchise fees. Monthly revenue per shop was around 15โ45 million KRW, with installation costs at 1.2โ1.5 million KRW per pyeong.
- Demolition Noraebang Newspaper Ad -
After opening the first branch in Seongnam in April '98, they secured over 150 locations nationwide within just one year, with orders flooding in.
Alto Industry became a legend with annual sales hitting 10 billion KRW. They even set up a branch in LA for the Korean-American community and earned 1.5โ3 billion KRW in royalties by exporting the tech to other countries.
At its peak, around 300 Demolition Music Clubs were operating nationwide.
Today, only a few branches remain, but it is still frequently discussed online as a nostalgic memory of that 'End of the Century' Korean vibe.
- Kim Yong-seok, CEO of Alto Industry -
Side note: After the success of Demolition, CEO Kim married a female manager who had worked with him for a long time.
- Asura Restaurant -
He later pursued other themed interior businesses like the restaurant 'Asura.' His current status is mostly unknown.
"Users are feeling a heavy dose of nostalgia for the 'End of the Century' aesthetic, recalling how everything from karaoke rooms to subway stations looked like a sci-fi horror set. Some even mention surviving locations and the trauma of playing Diablo 2 in such a creepy setting."
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