Hwang Sun-jun is considered as something of a maverick for his age. He likes to go to cocktail parties and match accessories including brooches with his suit. Some people may find his fashionable clothes weird but Hwang, county manager of Swarovski Korea Ltd., says it's a big part of his job. A key ingredient of the success in the business, including jewelry sales, is reading customers' minds. "You should be able to know what women really want..." said the 47-year-old entrepreneur who started his career in the insurance industry as sales manager.

Since the Austria-based crystal jewelry manufacturer launched its business in Korea in 2000, the Korean operation of Swarovski has become the second biggest market in Asia after Hong Kong and it's one of the top five worldwide.

With a total number of almost 60 shops in major department stores and duty free shops, Swarovski stores have sprouted up in downtown Seoul. Hwang aims to double the total sales revenue and increase the number of shops to 75 in the next five years. Last year, the total revenue at Swarovski's Korean operation reached as much as 34 billion won, more than 10 percent up from a year earlier. The target customers for Swarovski in Korea were those in their mid-thirties and fifties until recently but the twenty-something career women also have become big buyers for the stylish crystals jewelry. "It used to be a brand for middle-aged women but it seems to have a wide appeal among the young Koreans," said Hwang.