He moved to Korea after a breakup and now runs a farm in Seoul

Business Insider · Nicholas Yong · 2026-11-06 01:10 UTC

Ryan Phillips was born and raised in Texas. Now he smokes meat and runs a farm in Seoul.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ryan Phillips, 47, the owner of Bearfoot Gardens, a farm in Seoul. His words have been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to Seoul in 2006, the same year my relationship with the girl I thought was the one ended.

One day, I came home from my accounting job to find she'd moved out. We'd only been living together for a couple of months.

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