Independent after 5 years... Leading a virtuous cycle
Other local governments like Seongnam and Hanam also benchmark
On the first floor of a commercial area in Dongbaek District, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, there is a cleanly signposted snack bar called 'Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon.' This 45㎡ store was established in August 2018 by the Yongin Regional Self-Sufficiency Center to create jobs and promote independence for low-income and vulnerable groups. After steadily achieving stable sales, the participants in the self-sufficiency project succeeded in becoming independent last August, five years later.
'Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon' has become a representative brand of Yongin City's self-sufficiency projects by creating such a success story. Following the success of the first store, the second branch, Dongbaek Hosu Branch, opened in October last year, and the third branch is scheduled to open in Samga-dong, Cheoin-gu, this coming September.
The city cites thorough business preparation with independence and entrepreneurship in mind from the start as the key to 'Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon’s' success. Prior to opening, they minimized early operational trial and error through menu development and recipe management, employee cooking certification acquisition, and store operation training. To secure stable business funds, they also attracted startup capital from the Korea Self-Sufficiency Welfare Development Institute’s public project and support from the Gyeonggi-do self-sufficiency fund.
Yongin City opened the second branch of 'Bapgwa Hamkkeramyeon,' aiming for the self-sufficiency of low-income vulnerable groups. [Photo by Yongin City]
Especially at the second branch, which opened last October, the city introduced menus familiar to citizens by using the city’s character, such as 'Joayang Gimbap (Vegetable)' and 'Hwanayang Gimbap (Spicy),' which have gained popularity.
The third branch in Samga-dong, Cheoin-gu, opening in September, will also attempt collaboration between self-sufficiency enterprises. Yongin self-sufficiency enterprise 'Hanuri Architecture' is responsible for the store interior, creating a virtuous cycle among self-sufficiency enterprises. The city and the center plan to operate expert training programs, such as cooking certification acquisition, at the fourth branch scheduled to open next year in Suji-gu, supporting the economic independence of low-income women with work experience.
The success of Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon has led to benchmarking by other local governments such as Seongnam-si and Hanam-si. In fact, the Mannam Regional Self-Sufficiency Center in Seongnam-si opened 'Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon Seongnam Mannam Branch' in July by benchmarking 'Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon.'
Meanwhile, the center has applied for trademark registration with the Korean Intellectual Property Office to brand 'Bapgwa Hamkke Ramyeon.'
A city official said, "Promoting the branding of self-sufficiency projects is a very meaningful case in self-sufficiency policy," adding, "We will produce a storybook containing standard recipes and manuals and organize operational processes to create the nation’s first successful branded snack business unit model."
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