On the 8th, when the wolf Neukgu escaped from Daejeon O-World. In a light drizzle, search team members moved quickly. Byun Gi-hwan, 58, owner of the EDIYA COFFEE Daejeon O-World branch, saw search team members shivering from the cold in the rain. Wanting to help in any way, he immediately brewed hot coffee and handed it out to search team members, police officers, firefighters and cleaning staff.
Byun's free coffee sharing continued until Neukgu was captured alive on the ninth day. He provided an average of 500 cups a day, for a total of about 4,500 cups of coffee. Considering that one EDIYA COFFEE Americano is 3,200 won, that amounts to 14.4 million won.
In a phone interview with ChosunBiz on the 22nd, Byun laughed and said, "Honestly, I thought Neukgu would return in a day or two, but it dragged on for nine days, so the coffee sharing did become a burden." He added, "When you see people working hard, of course you want to give them at least a hot cup of coffee," and "I only did what was natural, hoping that Neukgu would return quickly."
Byun is a native of Daejeon. That is why he felt more attached to Neukgu, who was born at O-World in Jan. 2024. He said, "Neukgu is only 2 years old and was raised at O-World, not in the wild, so I was worried when it went outside," and "I'm relieved that so many people worked hard and Neukgu returned safely."
Byun said it was not a special good deed, just repaying the help he has received in life. "I have often experienced other people's goodwill," Byun said. "Once, when I got stranded while driving on a snowy road, a stranger came and cleared all the snow." He added, "None of the people who helped tried to take credit," and "As someone doing business at O-World, this coffee sharing was only natural."
As word spread through online communities and social media (SNS) that Byun provided coffee to search team members, reactions followed calling to give him "donjjul" ("boosting sales at a store that performed a good deed"). Byun operates an EDIYA COFFEE store and a pork cutlet shop inside O-World.
However, even after Neukgu returned, O-World's audit process has continued, and no reopening date has been set. Tenant businesses have also been closed for more than two weeks. It means people who want to give "donjjul" cannot do so.
Byun also said he is struggling with sales effectively at "0." He said, "The Children's Day (May 5) holiday, O-World's peak season, is just around the corner, but we don't know when we will open, so it's daunting," adding, "I hope Neukgu regains health soon, and that O-World reopens as soon as possible."
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment found that O-World violated its safety management obligations and suspended zoo operations until the problems are fixed. Daejeon City also stepped in to conduct an audit of O-World.
Not only Byun but also the eight other businesses in O-World are said to be in the same difficult situation. Byun said, "I only hope that, prompted by the commotion over Neukgu's escape, many people will come to O-World."
EDIYA COFFEE said it is aware that Byun is having difficulty operating his store due to O-World's closure. An EDIYA COFFEE official said, "Headquarters fully understands the situation," and "We are reviewing related measures."