Store owner who gave chicken to struggling siblings ends up closing business after 'donjjul' bombardment

A chicken franchise owner who treated a financially struggling sibling to chicken eventually had to suspend operations due to an overwhelming number of orders. Photo by Jaehwi Park, provided by Cheolin F&B

[Asia Economy Reporter Han-ah Na] A chicken franchise branch owner who served chicken free of charge to financially struggling siblings has ultimately suspended operations due to a surge in orders caused by netizens' 'Donzzul' (money + scolding) campaign.

Park Jae-hwi, the owner of the Hongdae branch of the chicken franchise 'Cheolin 7ho' headquartered in Busan, announced on the 26th via a delivery app, "Due to the overwhelming interest, orders have been flooding in," adding, "We cannot guarantee 100% quality if we accept all the incoming orders, so we will temporarily suspend operations. We will return as soon as possible."

After Park's story was shared across various communities and media, one netizen commented, "Such a kind store deserves a 'Donzzul' (money + scolding) campaign," which eventually spread and led to the surge in orders.

Additionally, the chicken franchise company 'Cheolin 7ho' decided to provide this branch owner with business support worth approximately 10 million won.

Earlier, Kim Hyun-seok, CEO of 'Cheolin 7ho,' posted a letter received at the headquarters on his social media. According to Kim, the letter was handwritten by a high school student, A, expressing gratitude to Park, who generously treated A and his younger sibling?who only had 5,000 won last year?to chicken. Later, A’s sibling secretly visited Park’s chicken shop several more times, and each time Park gave chicken for free; on one occasion, he even took the sibling to a hair salon and paid for a haircut.

CEO Kim said, "I am very proud and thankful that such a touching person is one of our brand’s franchisees," adding, "If we can get in touch with A, we definitely want to provide a scholarship."

Park, upon seeing A’s letter, said he was deeply comforted. He wrote in the delivery app’s review section, "Orders exploded as people wanted to give me a 'Donzzul,' and some even left gifts or small envelopes pretending to order. Calls, DMs, and comments of support are still pouring in from all over the country, and I sincerely want to express my gratitude."

He continued, "I still don’t think I did anything special. I believe anyone would have done the same, so all the attention and love make me feel embarrassed," and pledged, "I will cherish these precious feelings forever and strive to be a person who spreads positive influence."