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Internet retailer Genzshop, specializing in female clothing, has gained popularity among females in their teens and 20s, selling about 400 items a day. While there are many other do-it-yourself Internet retailers with monthly sales over 100 million won (US$107,000), attention is focused on Genzshop, as the site is run by an 18-year-old high school student, Kim Dan-seul.

Gwon Hi-yeon, 25, started an Internet book retailer, Gosiday, as part of a class assignment two years ago. Gwon thought that an online retailer specializing in study materials had major business potential. At that time, he took a course on start-ups and launched his own business. Gwon, who is a junior at Soongsil University, now generates more than 40 million won a month from his Internet site.

Like Kim and Gwon, the existence of "student" entrepreneurs - from the generation born in the 1980s - are on the rise.

A survey of 55,176 Internet retailers, taken by Cafeacute24 (www.cafe24.com), found that 26 percent, or 14,362 sites, are run by people who were born in the 1980s, a 10-percent jump for this age group from a year prior.

Young entrepreneurs have an upper hand in keeping up with rapidly changing consumer trends, such as clothing, Cafeacute24 said. In addition, the trends favored by such entrepreneurs often align with those held by consumers in their teens and 20s, the site said. In fact, according to the site, the owners of Internet clothing retailers registering the highest number of visitors are mostly females in that age group.

Kim So-hi, 24, who launched online retailer Stylenanda last year, said, "Whenever I think about which items will sell, I ask myself, 'Do I want to wear this clothing?' " Stylenanda is currently one of the most-visited Internet clothing retailers.

Some entrepreneurs also model the clothes they are selling. Jo An-ik, 24, who runs Internet retailer Jogunshop, is attracting customers with his unique style of modeling his own clothes, adding quirky touches like wearing a gas mask. Jogunshop is expected to post about 200 million won in sales this year.

Another characteristic of Internet entrepreneurs born in 1980s is their ability to quickly offer differentiated items catering to niche markets. Han Ju-hi, 22, launched an online shopping site specializing in maps while working part-time at a map company in 2003. Han's site, Jido45, generates 40 million won in monthly sales. Han is optimistic about the site's business outlook, even though demand is slowing due to a lull in the real estate market.

"Members of the young generation are increasingly becoming self-employed because of a tough job market and a change in the definition of wealth," said Kim Ik-yong, an official at Cafe24. "Young entrepreneurs are creative and flexible under new business environments."

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