One of South Korea’s biggest companies… was built by a poor farmer’s son from North Korea.

Before Hyundai became a global giant, its founder Chung Ju-yung was just a teenager with empty pockets and an impossible dream.

He was born in 1915, the eldest of seven kids in a poverty-stricken village in what is now North Korea. His family wanted him to be a farmer. But Chung had other plans.

He attempted to run away multiple times, each time getting dragged back. But on his final attempt, he stole a cow, sold it for travel money, and finally boarded a train to Seoul. That single stolen cow would change his life—and the future of an entire nation.

Decades later, after turning Hyundai into one of the most powerful conglomerates in Asia, Chung made an extraordinary move.

In 1998, he returned the favor.

He sent 1,001 cows back to his hometown—repaying the one he stole, a thousand times over.

It wasn’t just an apology. It was a message: Where you start doesn’t define where you’ll end up.

From a hungry teen crossing the border… to the man who helped rebuild South Korea’s economy.

This is the real story behind Hyundai.

Would you have the guts to do what he did?
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