North Korean defectors to run chicken shops

North Koreans defectors will receive support to manage their own fried chicken shops starting next month.

20 people are to be provided with free BBQ Chicken stores, according to the Genesis BBQ Group, in attempt to tackle economic difficulties for new settlers in South Korea.

In July, the franchise group held a program called, “Chicken University” - a part of a job creating camp for North Korean defectors from various backgrounds with ambitions to start their own shop.

Recently, small and medium sized enterprises have also made efforts made to boost employment rates for North Korean defectors.

This project is by far the largest scale in support for economic independence, spending up to one hundred million won on interior designs and cooking facilities.

Jung Kyung-suk, deputy head of the sales department of Genesis BBQ, said, “It’s more than taste. We want to train these people to overcome the cultural differences to provide services that we pursue, such as communication and management skills.”

The chicken stores will be located near the residential areas of the North Korean defectors in charge of each shop.

The proprietorship will be fully given to the North Korean defectors after a period of trust management, in which the company will receive 25 percent of the profit for five years.