Community Chest of Korea Celebrates 50,000th "Good Store"?1969 Yangdong Chicken Named Milestone Member

From the left, Kim Ikang, Mayor of Gwangju Seo-gu, Jang Guiil, CEO of 1969 Yangdong Chicken, Jang's mother, and Koo Jegil, Chairman of Gwangju Community Chest of Korea, are attending the 50,000th Good Store membership ceremony. Community Chest of Korea

The Community Chest of Korea (Chairman Kim Byungjun) has celebrated the opening of its 50,000th "Good Store" nationwide. Twenty years after the launch of the "Good Store" program in 2005, 1969 Yangdong Chicken, located in Gwangju's Yangdong Market, has become the 50,000th store to join.

The membership ceremony for the 50,000th Good Store was held on July 10 at Yangdong Market in Gwangju. Attendees included Koo Jegil, Chairman of the Gwangju branch of the Community Chest of Korea, Lee Seongdo, Head of the Fundraising Division at the Community Chest of Korea, Kim Ikang, Mayor of Gwangju Seo-gu, Jeon Seungil, Chairman of Seo-gu District Council, and Jang Guiil, CEO of 1969 Yangdong Chicken. The event also featured a group membership ceremony for 17 stores within Yangdong Market and the proclamation of Gwangju's first "Good Market" and "Good Street."

The Good Store program is a donation initiative of the Community Chest of Korea, in which small business owners regularly donate a portion of their sales. Multiple stores can participate together in various forms, such as Good Streets or Good Franchises, leading the spread of a culture of individual giving.

The Good Store program began in 2005 with 10 participating stores. It reached 10,000 stores in 2015, 20,000 in 2017, 30,000 in 2019, and 40,000 in 2022. In 2025, marking its 20th anniversary, the program welcomed its 50,000th member.

Good Stores in Gwangju Seo-gu are realizing the value of community coexistence through the "Good Store·Good Coupon" project, which provides coupons to neighbors in need based on regular donations. Currently, about 170 stores in Yangdong Market are participating as Good Stores. With the addition of the 50,000th store, the market has also been declared a "Good Market·Good Street."

Jang Guiil, CEO of 1969 Yangdong Chicken, said, "It is an honor for 1969 Yangdong Chicken, which has been a part of the market for 56 years, to be named the 50,000th Good Store. As a Good Store, we will continue to practice sharing with our neighbors."

Hwang Insik, Secretary General of the Community Chest of Korea, stated, "I would like to thank all the Good Store owners nationwide who have participated over the past 20 years since the launch of the program. I am also grateful to the merchants of Yangdong Market for their efforts in helping 1969 Yangdong Chicken become the 50,000th Good Store and for making the market a Good Street."