"3,000 Cups of Coffee Despite Zero Revenue"... O-world Café Owner Supports Neukgu Search Team

Revenue Halted Due to Closure, but Coffee Shared with Search Teams
Acts of Kindness Move Netizens as Reopening Faces Delays

It was recently revealed that the owner of a café inside Daejeon O-world provided about 3,000 free cups of coffee to police officers, firefighters, and other personnel who participated in a ten-day search for the escaped wolf, Neukgu.

On April 23, Ediya Coffee announced through its official social media channel that Byun Gi-hwan, the owner of the Ediya Coffee Daejeon O-world branch, had offered free coffee to the personnel involved in the search for Neukgu from April 8 to 17.

The return of Neukgu to O-World. O-World Daejeon SNS

According to reports, Byun began distributing coffee to the search team from the morning of April 8, the first day of the search, as they stood guard in the cold. About 400 to 500 cups of coffee were delivered each day to police officers, firefighters, and other related personnel. This act of sharing coffee continued until Neukgu was captured on April 17, nine days after the escape. At that time, O-world had suddenly closed due to the aftermath of the wolf’s escape. As a result, Byun’s store inside O-world effectively saw its revenue drop to zero. Nevertheless, rather than worry about his empty shop, Byun prioritized supporting those working hard in the field.

Ediya Coffee stated, “Even though the sudden closure meant the store’s revenue dropped to zero, Byun cared more for those enduring the cold than for his empty store.” As a native of Daejeon, Byun said he was also deeply concerned about Neukgu. “Neukgu is only two years old and was raised in O-world rather than in the wild, so I was very worried when he got out,” he said. “I'm grateful so many people worked hard and that Neukgu returned safely.”

Byun explained that sharing coffee was not so much a special good deed as a way to repay, even in a small way, the help he himself had received. “I have often experienced the goodwill of others,” he said. “Once, when my car got stuck in the snow, a stranger came and cleared the snow for me.” He added, “All those who helped did so without expecting anything in return. Sharing coffee this time was simply the natural thing to do as someone running a business in O-world.”

Byun’s story spread through online communities and social media. Netizens have expressed support, with comments such as, “The Ediya O-world branch deserves a surge in business,” “I’ll be sure to visit when O-world reopens,” and “It’s not easy to do this when your revenue has stopped.”

Meanwhile, the reopening of O-world remains uncertain as the suspension of operations due to Neukgu’s escape continues. According to local small business owners, the businesses inside O-world were notified on April 24 that reopening would not be possible until the end of next month at the earliest. Currently, there are 11 businesses operating within O-world, including cafés, restaurants, character shops, and convenience stores, all of which have suspended operations since the incident on April 8.

Especially for an outdoor theme park, May and early June are considered peak season due to field trips and heightened demand for family activities. Businesses inside O-world had been preparing to resume operations ahead of the May holidays, but as the likelihood of further delays increases, concerns over losses are mounting. It has also been reported that local schools planning to visit O-world for field trips are having to abruptly cancel or reschedule, causing further confusion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.