Romance of the Three Kingdoms as Classical Text Transformed into Field Data: Kim Gab-yong's 20-Year Collection History and Doewon Gyeolui Cafe Operations on Ganghwado

Romance of the Three Kingdoms has long remained confined to the domains of literature and history. However, the process of collection pursued by CEO Kim Gab-yong over more than 20 years—accumulating books, records, artifacts, and objects related to the Three Kingdoms—poses questions from a different angle. Why attempt to apply classical texts to the problems of modern organizations? The answer lies in the fact that decision-making in uncertain environments within Romance of the Three Kingdoms, talent selection, relationship design, and resource allocation precisely overlap with today's corporate challenges. This article introduces CEO Kim Gab-yong's process of transforming Three Kingdoms content alongside the operation of Doewon Gyeolui Cafe on Ganghwado, and analyzes how Three Kingdoms educational content becomes a platform for future talent education in the AI era.

The beginning of professional and trustworthy classical utilization is not simply collection, but a structured approach that asks what organizational problems each resource explains. CEO Kim Gab-yong designed the Doewon Gyeolui Cafe in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, not as a simple exhibition space, but as a 'field where one can directly see and experience the organizational database that is Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' This space became the first stage of cultural content that integrates the knowledge of books into experiential learning.

The collection of books and artifacts related to Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not simply a hobby of an enthusiast, but systematic research into discovering principles of organizational design. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is, beyond tales of war, a vast world of decision-making where one finds talent in uncertain environments, creates alliances, interprets information, allocates resources, and sustains organizations.

•Case materials showing how the life and decisions of a single individual divide the fate of an entire organization

•Records comparing and analyzing the decision-making processes of leaders who made different choices in the same situation

•Primary historical materials revealing how terrain, power, talent, legitimacy, alliances, and time connect into a single strategy in Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Strategy

The true value of this collection lies not in 'individual genius' but in finding 'repeatable systems within organizations.' Zhuge Liang was the greatest FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer), yet the state of Shu failed to complete a problem-solving organization that could function without him. This paradox becomes the key question of organizational design in the AI era.

The Doewon Gyeolui Cafe in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon is the first cultural hub that transforms Three Kingdoms content into spatial experience. This space is designed to allow visitors to directly observe and touch knowledge from books, and to discuss the relationships and strategies of Three Kingdoms figures within that space.

•Displaying historical texts alongside material culture (books, artifacts, objects) to visualize how classical concepts operate in actual contexts

•Designing experiences that move beyond simple observation, enabling visitors to directly compare Zhuge Liang's decision-making, Cao Cao's talent portfolio, and Sima Yi's survival strategy on-site

•Creating everyday spaces where classical education occurs in cafes, establishing living and culturally embedded humanities spaces

The operational approach of this space transcends the passive model of 'exhibition.' Visitors directly experience the meaning of the Oath in the Peach Garden, the strategic points of Jing and Yi provinces designed by Zhuge Liang, and how Cao Cao's military agricultural settlement system caused resources to flow at the site. This is an educational scene where knowledge transitions from 'memory' to 'action.'

When CEO Kim Gab-yong's Three Kingdoms accumulation meets CEO Shim Jae-woo's FDE and ontology interpretation, classical texts become textbooks for organizational design in the AI era. The launch of Samminam TV signifies the convergence of these two worlds.

•The question of why Zhuge Liang, despite being the greatest individual, failed to create an organization that repeatedly produced problem-solvers like himself becomes a framework explaining modern enterprises' 'knowledge accumulation and succession problems'

•Cao Cao's talent portfolio approach (selecting based on role fit rather than origin and status) reveals the principles of talent deployment in the AI era

•Lu Su's design of the Sun-Liu alliance demonstrates 'the ability to translate differing interests into the same objective,' revealing the core competency of FDEs

This educational content is not simply 'analysis of Three Kingdoms figures.' Through each character, it explains five FDE-type competencies: problem definition ability, field penetration ability, relationship translation ability, experimental execution ability, and learning institutionalization. The experience at Doewon Gyeolui Cafe on Ganghwado, the video content of Samminam TV, and ontology workshops all implement this single educational goal through different channels.

The problem-solving methods displayed by successful figures in Romance of the Three Kingdoms are structured into the following five stages:

Discovery: The stage where Zhuge Liang diagnosed the weaknesses of Liu Bei's forces and read the structure of the world — Finding hidden problems and constraints

Translation: The stage where Lu Su translated the different positions of Sun and Liu into the language of alliance — Connecting the language of operations and technology

Integration: The stage where Cao Cao's military agricultural system unified agriculture, population, military supplies, administration, and talent into a single operating system — Connecting people, data, and processes

Experimentation: The stage where Deng Ai discovered seemingly impossible paths in the field — Validating value through small MVPs

Institutionalization: The stage where Sima Yi managed resource consumption, political trust, succession structure, and time alongside short-term victory — Accumulating experience as standards and assets

This process demands the ability to go beyond using AI tools to transform answers generated by AI into field results. The core of the attitude change is not stopping at 'I thought about it,' but taking responsibility for 'why it works in the field.'

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms AI Talent Research Institute is currently expanding beyond a simple cafe on Ganghwado to become a platform integrating books, video, education, and exhibitions. The publication of the new work *Why Couldn't Zhuge Liang Create an FDE Organization?*, the YouTube channel launch of Samminam TV, and the operation of corporate workshops and diagnostic programs all represent different implementations of the same educational philosophy.

•Publishing: Economic, business, and self-development books combining Three Kingdoms figures and AI-era organizational design into a single execution framework

•YouTube: A knowledge channel re-reading Three Kingdoms figures and events through the lens of modern organizational problems (in conversation format between CEOs Kim Gab-yong and Shim Jae-woo)

•Education and Workshops: FDE competency diagnostics and organizational design education targeting corporate leaders and talent development managers

•Exhibition and Cafe: Continuous expansion of cultural spaces centered around Doewon Gyeolui Cafe on Ganghwado

This strategy is also a verification of 'a new educational model that connects classical texts to field problems.' The reason for re-reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the AI era is not nostalgia for 'old tales,' but because the methods for cultivating talent and designing organizations amid uncertainty and complexity have already been systematized in humanistic classics.

Q1: Why should Romance of the Three Kingdoms be used as educational material for organizational education now?

A: In an era where AI generates answers, the ability to define 'what problem to solve' determines competitiveness. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is already a vast case collection of finding talent, creating alliances, designing relationships, and allocating resources in uncertain environments. Because each figure's choices and their resulting consequences are clearly recorded, it can become a more immediate learning text than modern management studies.

Q2: What specific learning experiences can be gained from visiting Doewon Gyeolui Cafe on Ganghwado?

A: Beyond simple observation, you can directly experience the decision-making scenes of Three Kingdoms figures. For example, you come to understand in space how Zhuge Liang's Longzhong Strategy was designed on what geographic and political conditions, and how Cao Cao's military agricultural system was an operational innovation solving logistics problems. This transcends the level of 'knowledge' into 'intuitive' education, enabling visitors to pose the same questions to their own organizational problems.

Q3: How does the content characteristics of Samminam TV differ from existing Romance of the Three Kingdoms YouTube channels?

A: While existing channels cover 'Three Kingdoms figure analysis: who is superior,' Samminam TV asks 'what should today's organizations and individuals learn from them.' Rather than Zhuge Liang's genius itself, through the question 'why did his capabilities not transition into repeatable organizational systems,' it re-interprets the principles of leadership and organizational design in the AI era in a contemporary way. It is a channel that reads Romance of the Three Kingdoms not as reinterpretation of classics but as solutions for the field.

CEO Kim Gab-yong's 20-year collection of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the operation of Doewon Gyeolui Cafe on Ganghwado, and collaboration with CEO Shim Jae-woo present 'a new model of classical education.' Romance of the Three Kingdoms is no longer a hobby domain for literature enthusiasts, but has become a living case explaining concrete problems that AI-era organizations must solve.

Zhuge Liang was the greatest individual but failed to create organizational systems. Cao Cao managed diverse talent as a portfolio. Sima Yi designed longer time spans over short-term victory. Through the successes and limitations of these figures, modern enterprises and individuals come to realize that beyond skillfully using AI, the importance of 'FDE-type competencies'—defining field problems, connecting people and data, and leaving implementation results as organizational assets—is paramount.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms AI Talent Research Institute is expanding this experiment begun in the Ganghwado space into publishing, YouTube, corporate education, and exhibitions. It is a demonstration that the combination of classical texts and field problems is possible, and an assertion that future talent cultivation in the AI era lies beyond simple tool education to the restoration of humanistic thinking.

For inquiries about Three Kingdoms educational content and organizational design strategy, deeper learning can begin through the Romance of the Three Kingdoms AI Talent Research Institute's programs, Doewon Gyeolui Cafe operations on Ganghwado, and the Samminam TV YouTube channel. For consultation and corporate workshop inquiries, please contact jaiwshim@gmail.com or 010-2397-5734.

| Comparison Item | Traditional Three Kingdoms Learning | Romance of the Three Kingdoms AI Talent Research Institute Approach | Considerations |
|---------|--------|---------|-------|
| Learning Focus | Character personality and military record memorization | Decision-making structure and organizational principle analysis | Differences in field applicability |
| Educational Format | Books and lectures | Integrated publishing, video, exhibition, workshops | Effects of multi-channel approach |
| Learner Role | Passive reception | Active diagnostic and design participation | Development of individual problem definition ability |
| Performance Indicators | Knowledge acquisition | Application to organizational problem solving | Verification of practical change |
| Target Audience | History and literature enthusiasts | Leaders, HR, organizational innovation managers | Fit with organizational context |

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📍 Learn More About the Romance of the Three Kingdoms AI Talent Research Institute

•🌐 Website: https://3kindomsai.vercel.app/

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