Bae Choon-sik was a Korean grocer and former slave catcher who lived in Hanseong (Seoul) during the 1900s. In 1871, he and his partner Kim Il-sik failed in their task of recapturing the young Choi Yoo-jin for Kim Pan-seo, leading to the two men's reputations being soiled. In 1895, following the Gabo Reform, the two men entered the grocery business, setting up their own shop in Seoul.