The strength of JOY YOU, which has continued its fashion accessory business in Seoul’s Namdaemun area for 26 years, goes far beyond the glamorous displays in its store. After passing through the store and the consultation and sample areas, the manufacturing site reveals rows of components and raw materials carefully organized by type, while skilled workers assemble and inspect products one by one by hand. Before COVID-19, JOY YOU operated a production system with more than 20 employees in Korea and around 200 workers in Qingdao, China. Later, the Qingdao factory was transferred to local employees, while the Korean organization was restructured. Even after downsizing, JOY YOU has maintained its accumulated manufacturing experience—from design and sample development to assembly, inspection and delivery—as it prepares to reconnect with overseas buyers and domestic business partners.
 [Korean Today] JOY YOU’s manufacturing space in Seoul. Skilled workers carry out accessory assembly and production-related tasks at their individual workstations. It is a hands-on production site where numerous components and materials are systematically managed. © Reporter Ji Seung-ju |
Behind the glamorous displays are countless human hands
The fashion accessories found in Namdaemun Market are small and eye-catching. When looking at a pair of earrings, a necklace or a pearl ornament, the beauty of the finished product is what first draws attention. Yet the process required before a product reaches the display shelf is much longer than it may appear.
After visiting JOY YOU’s store and its consultation and sample rooms, we went directly to the manufacturing site. The first thing that came into view after opening the door was a large number of storage containers packed along the walls and shelves.
Chains, connecting components, pearls, crystal decorations, metal parts and other materials required for accessory production were separated and organized by type. It was another side of manufacturing that is difficult to see from finished products alone.
In an earlier interview, JOY YOU CEO Jung Cheo-young explained that most of the company’s products pass through human hands during production.
Accessories may be small, but they require many different types of components, and the combination varies depending on the design. Therefore, in order to reproduce an ordered product accurately, not only the design itself but also the accumulated experience of knowing which parts are stored where and how they should be combined is important.
 [Korean Today] Various components and materials used in accessory production are stored by type in one section of JOY YOU’s manufacturing space. Accurately sorting and managing a large number of parts is essential for responding to a wide range of designs and orders. © Reporter Ji Seung-ju |
Products that cannot be made by machines alone
At the manufacturing site, workers sat at desks assembling small components one by one. They connected pearls to chains, combined decorative elements, checked lengths and reviewed the completed form repeatedly.
JOY YOU has produced a wide range of items, including earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings. It has also worked with products using Swarovski-type crystals, various pearls, stainless steel and other materials.
Some processes are handled in cooperation with outside specialists, but Jung explained that human skill remains important in assembling the product and checking its final condition. In particular, when multiple units of the same design are produced, the size, length and placement of decorative elements must remain consistent.
This is also why JOY YOU values experienced employees who have worked with the company for many years. The task is not simply to connect parts; it takes time to learn the characteristics of each product and the correct sequence of work.
Before COVID-19: More than 20 employees in Korea and around 200 in Qingdao, China
At the height of JOY YOU’s business, its manufacturing scale was far larger than it is today. According to Jung, before COVID-19, about 20 employees worked in Korea, while around 200 employees worked at the production site in Qingdao, China.
When overseas orders were active, the company operated production bases in both Korea and China to handle large-volume manufacturing.
However, COVID-19 changed the situation significantly.
As international business and market conditions changed rapidly, it became difficult to maintain the existing production system. Eventually, the China factory was handed over to local employees, while the Korean organization also had to be restructured. Because many employees had worked with the company for a long time, reducing the scale of the business was not a simple process. Even so, Jung did not abandon manufacturing altogether.
The company retained its accumulated design materials and samples, its system for managing raw materials and components, its trading experience, and the people capable of making products directly. Even though it no longer operates production facilities on the same scale as in the past, JOY YOU continues to maintain a manufacturing base capable of producing necessary items directly and checking their quality.
 [Korean Today] In JOY YOU’s manufacturing space, production components, materials, packaging supplies and manufacturing-related documents are organized and managed in detail. Behind the finished products sold in the store are multiple stages of manufacturing, including parts management, assembly and inspection. © Reporter Ji Seung-ju |
From a single sample to an actual order
One of JOY YOU’s strengths is that its store, sample room and manufacturing space each serve a different function while remaining closely connected.
When a buyer or business partner discusses a desired design, the process can move into sample development. After confirming the design, materials, colors and length, production can proceed according to the actual order conditions.
In the earlier interview, Jung repeatedly emphasized the importance of sample development in international business.
From a buyer’s perspective, it is difficult to decide on an order based only on photos or descriptions. In many cases, the buyer first reviews an actual sample, checks the design and finishing quality, and then proceeds with the full order.
Depending on the order conditions, JOY YOU consults on everything from small sample runs to production above a certain quantity, and it has also conducted OEM and ODM business with Korean brands. Unlike companies that simply source and resell products, JOY YOU is able to develop samples and connect them directly to actual production—one of the reasons it has been able to maintain long-term business relationships.
“Delivery dates are promises”… In manufacturing, what remains in the end is trust
One word that Jung, who has run the business for 26 years, repeatedly emphasized was “trust.”
When placing a first order with a new partner, design and price are important, but what ultimately determines whether the relationship continues is whether the agreed product can be supplied at the agreed time.
The same principle applies to international business.
Even if a relationship begins with a small order, meeting quality standards and delivery schedules can lead to the next order. As those transactions accumulate, the buyer may become a long-term client.
JOY YOU stated that it checks products through multiple stages during production and has also provided after-sales support when problems arise after delivery.
More important than flashy promotional phrases is properly producing and shipping an order once it has been promised. That, according to Jung, is the basic principle of manufacturing.
A Namdaemun manufacturer once again looking for overseas buyers
The environment of the Namdaemun accessory market has changed dramatically from the past.
In the early and mid-2000s, it was more common than it is today for overseas buyers to visit Namdaemun in person, examine products and place orders. JOY YOU also grew by working with buyers from the United States, Japan, Europe and other regions.
Today, online transactions have increased, while manufacturers in China and other overseas markets have rapidly improved their design and quality competitiveness.
Jung says Namdaemun must also move beyond being a market that waits for customers and instead promote itself more actively overseas and seek out buyers.
This is why exhibitions, online promotion and the development of overseas business partners have once again become important.
The samples and manufacturing materials JOY YOU has kept for years are not merely traces of the past. They are accumulated experience that can be used to understand what new buyers want and to develop products again.
The scale may change, but 26 years of know-how remain
Leaving the manufacturing site, one point became clear again: JOY YOU’s greatest asset is not any single product. It is the experience of having created countless designs, worked with a wide range of materials, handled international orders, connected samples to mass production, and worked with people who have remained part of that process for many years.
The visible size of the factory may be different from the past, but the manufacturing experience accumulated within it has not disappeared.
Jung is once again waiting for orders from overseas buyers and domestic business partners.
That is why, behind the finished products in the store and the countless designs in the sample room, hands are still connecting small components today.
JOY YOU.
True to a name that expresses a desire to bring joy and happiness to people, it remains to be seen whether the small accessories that began in Namdaemun will once again reach people around the world.
If you have an idea, it can become a real product
It is difficult to determine manufacturing feasibility from a photo or sketch alone.
First, review JOY YOU’s actual OEM/ODM manufacturing portfolio and manufacturing-site video.
For international buyers: View our OEM/ODM portfolio and manufacturing video before contacting us.
▶ View actual manufacturing examples
https://pscoinc.co.kr/portfolio
▶ Watch the manufacturing process video
Custom manufacturing consultations are available for jewelry, fashion accessories, merchandise and other products. Providing the desired design, estimated quantity and delivery schedule will allow for a more detailed discussion.
■ JOY YOU — Information for International Buyers and Korean Consumers
International Buyers / OEM & ODM / Sample Development / Custom Manufacturing Inquiries
Online Shop for Consumers in Korea
APhrose Jewelry
※ OEM/ODM order quantities, sample development, materials, pricing and delivery schedules may vary depending on the product, so individual consultation is required.
■ JOY YOU Field Reporting Series
① Store
“From Namdaemun Back to the World”…26-Year Accessory Company ‘JOY YOU’ Seeks New Global Buyers
② Consultation & Sample Rooms
“Thousands of Samples Tell 26 Years of History”… Namdaemun’s JOY YOU Turns Buyers’ Ideas into Products
③ Manufacturing Site
“Even COVID Couldn’t Stop the Hands”… JOY YOU’s 26-Year Manufacturing Site Looks to the World Again
THE KOREAN TODAY × WIA CODE
이 기사의 WIA Code
WIA Code 스캐너로 비추면 인터넷 없이 발행 사실과 위·변조 여부를 확인할 수 있습니다.
휴대폰 기본 카메라로 찍으면 스캐너 안내 페이지가 열립니다 — 기사 바로 열기
움직이는 코드(스트림) 한 장에 기사 전문(사진 포함)이 담겨 있습니다 — WIA Code 스캐너로 약 96초 비추면 폰에 저장되어 인터넷 없이도 읽을 수 있습니다. Stream.mp4 도 여기서 받습니다.
WIA Code · 코리안투데이
Leave a Reply