Jin-Soo Kwon was born on 27 November 1974 in Namhae, South Korea to a poor fisherman and a prostitute, the latter of which abandoned Jin and his father during his infancy. Jin had since been told that his mother died when he was young. Even though he was not sure about being Jin's father, the fisherman raised Jin, knowing that no one else would. As an adult, Jin attempted to follow his dreams of owning his own restaurant and hotel, and applied for a job at Seoul Gateway Hotel. Jin's heritage is recognized by the owner who employs him as a doorman, under strict instructions to keep "people like him" out of the hotel. When Jin allowed a disheveled man's son to use the hotel toilets, the owner rebuked him, prompting Jin to quit on the spot. Shortly after leaving, Jin literally bumped into Sun Paik (Yunjin Kim). After finding work as a waiter elsewhere, Jin visited Sun's father to ask for her hand in marriage. Jin disowned his heritage in order to gain Mr. Paik's respect, and in doing so was given a job as a floor manager in one of his factories. Sun and Jin were wed, and at their wedding reception, unknowingly spoke with Jacob, who congratulated them and told them (in fluent Korean, to the amusement of the couple) to never take each other, or their love, for granted. Two months after marrying Sun, Jin was assigned to present an associate with a stuffed panda to congratulate a newborn, a task in which Jin was faced with various obstructions. Later Jin was promoted to working as an "enforcer" for Mr. Paik, who had no qualms about the use of bribery, blackmail, extortion, and murder to succeed.