From Lawyer to Publishing CEO — Attorney Oh Su-hyun
From lawyer to bestselling author to publishing-company CEO. This is the story of Yuldongne's CEO Oh Su-hyun, who started her business with a CoworkCity virtual office — a realistic founding story of a lawyer who wanted to work with capital, not just labor.
==A word for those preparing for or just starting a business==
"It sounds too obvious, but working up the courage to take that first step is what matters most.
These days there are so many platforms and so much content out there to help you start a business. CoworkCity is one of them. To be specific, just shut your eyes and at least get your business registered. Once I registered my business through CoworkCity, the homework came pouring in. Taxes, labor, administrative processing, and so on. But handling that homework while also developing my content made everything much faster, and my goals became very concrete.
At CoworkCity, there are many CEOs who aren't afraid of new paths and keep taking on challenges at their own pace. Among them is someone walking a particularly singular journey. From lawyer to bestselling author, and on to publishing-house CEO — Lawyer Oh Su-hyun is building an expanded career. We sat down to hear the story of CEO Oh Su-hyun, who opened all three paths — legal professional, author, and CEO — by her own efforts.
ℹ️ Resident introduction
✅ Brand name: Yuldongne
✅ Interviewee: Oh Su-hyun, CEO of Yuldongne
✅ Brand service: Legal publishing
Yuldongne was founded by CEO Oh Su-hyun, a former lawyer. Saddened that people find the law difficult and intimidating, she resolved to explain it in a way anyone can easily understand. The book she wrote with that resolve, "The Easiest Civil Law Book in Korea," has held a spot on the bestseller list every single week for over two years since publication.
"On the day I was still at the office working into the new year, I made up my mind. I have to do my own business."
✅ Q. I'm curious how you went from being a lawyer to starting a publishing business.
"A lawyer's biggest problem is that it's so labor-intensive. Other people make money with capital, but a lawyer can only earn in proportion to the labor they put in. There's an episode I still remember — I was absorbed in writing a brief when I heard fireworks outside, looked out the window, and it was the very moment of crossing from December 31 to January 1. That's when reality really hit me. The thought came: 'I want to become an entrepreneur who makes money with capital I created, not with labor.'"
✅ Q. Among many business fields, why did you choose publishing?
"I originally loved writing and reading. Then I came across the idea that earning royalties is a very promising business model, and since it's a field I'm good at and interested in, I decided to give publishing a try."
✅ Q. Is there a meaning behind the name "Yuldongne"?
"It's a compound of the character for law (律, yul) and the pure Korean word 'dongne' (neighborhood). The law has this stiff, heavy image, right? I made the name to carry the vision of becoming a legal publisher anyone can easily approach. The sound is round and friendly, too."
✅ Q. What sets you apart from other legal publishers?
"There are publishers that specialize only in exam-prep law, and many that put out only humanities and general-interest books. I wanted to sit in between. To handle a specialized field like law while not being too specialized — making content where anyone can easily approach the law is our motto. I think my book "The Easiest Civil Law Book in Korea," holding a bestseller spot every single week for over two years since publication, has shown that this is possible."
✅ Q. How did you learn about the concept of a virtual office?
"I learned about it through a lawyer friend. The biggest burden when opening a law practice is office cost. Rent, maintenance fees, deposits... it takes tens of millions of won before you even start. After seeing my friend open successfully using a virtual office — writing briefs from home and using the office only for consultations — I thought I should start my business with a virtual office too."Q. You said you're a cautious person, so I imagine you compared several providers. "I really did a ton of searching! 😂 By nature I tend to compare things meticulously. I looked into a whole lot of places regarding virtual offices."
✅ Q. What was the decisive reason you chose CoworkCity among them?
"First, the objective specs appealed to me. There are lots of branches nationwide, and the price was reasonable. For an early-stage founder, that's what matters most, right? But while browsing the website, I could feel that the CEOs were doing this so passionately despite being young. Curious about that passion, I even looked them up on YouTube, and there they were, speaking so sincerely with bright, sparkling eyes. The objective specs were good, and on top of that, I could feel that 'ah, these people really want to help founders.'"
✅ Q. How was it once you actually used it?
"I really loved the feeling that it's not just renting a space, but providing a full-package service. Things like business registration may be nothing to people who've run businesses many times, but for a beginner founder like me, it's incredibly stressful and burdensome. Yet they kindly guided me on how to do it, and when problems came up they'd call and solve them together with me. Even after just a few months of use, I'm genuinely satisfied. Honestly — and this isn't an ad! (laughs)"
Living the digital nomad life
✅ Q. Are you satisfied with working without an office?
"So, so satisfied. I'm a die-hard night owl, you see. I fall asleep around 6 a.m. That's a style impossible in organizational life. Being able to work quietly during the hours that are most efficient for me, and to set the balance between rest and work however I want — that's really great. I work about 8 hours a day, and being able to decide those hours as I please is itself a huge advantage."
✅ Q. Compared to your days as a lawyer?
"The stress has dropped dramatically. As a lawyer, there are times you inevitably have to argue a case against your own will. But in business, there's little you have to do against your will. It's about thinking how to meet customers' needs, so there's no need to touch your fundamental beliefs. I think business suits me far better."
✅ Q. What's the vision Yuldongne wants to achieve going forward?
"Within three years, I'd love for 'Yuldongne' to be firmly established as a brand image that means legal content. We've put out 6 exam-prep books so far, and the goal is to grow that to 15 or more and build the brand through YouTube and social media. Beyond five years, I want to become a comprehensive AI-powered legal platform. Having experienced starting a business at CoworkCity, it even occurred to me that it could be nice to build a platform out of one-person-startup content."
From lawyer to publishing CEO — take that one step that makes the start of a business possible 👣
Just like CEO Oh Su-hyun's candid experience, CoworkCity is alongside the fresh starts of solo entrepreneurs and founders in all kinds of fields. Behind CEOs starting new careers, there's always a need for a reliable partner. Having successfully supported more than 26,000 business registrations, CoworkCity walks alongside your first step from the closest possible place. From the address that's just right for you, to mail notifications, to handling site inspections — start with ease at CoworkCity.
