​My Settlement Story Is Ongoing.

We are going to listen to the South Korea settlement story of Ms. Kim Ju-hee who succeeded in becoming economically independent through seed money deposits in a ‘Future Happiness Account’.

*Future Happiness Account: The government funded a project to motivate North Korean refugees in their economic activities, such as getting a job, establishing a business, etc., and to establish a base for them to be able to settle down in South Korean society stably. It is a project in which the Korean government deposits the same amounts of money as the amounts of income North Korean refugees deposit following their economic activity.

We took a bus to meet the main character of this story and arrived at Cheonan General Terminal in Chungcheongnam-do. The 7-Eleven convenience store Ms. Kim Ju-hee runs is seen. It seemed like there were a lot of customers in the convenience store, even for a little while.

We opened the door to go inside the store and Ms. Kim who is tiny in her mid-40s welcomed us. She signed up for the “Future Happiness Account” when it was the account’s first year and it is now the 7th year in which she had settled down in South Korea. 

Passion Makes Me Run

The first place that Ms. Kim worked at after completing the Hanawon (Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees) program was a big supermarket. However, having to stand up for the entire day was too hard for Ms. Kim as she was suffering from thyroidism. After this, she got a job again as a production worker at a conglomerate affiliate. At that time, she signed up for a “Future Happiness Account” provided by the government. However, an unexpected hardship arose for her. The affiliate went bankrupt. She then had to prepare for a new challenge. Ms. Kim, who is extraordinarily passionate about learning, entered a technical college which requires attendance every weekend and studied social welfare.

She got several licenses such as Career Aptitude Counsellor Level 1, Career Counsellor Level 1 and Multicultural Family Welfare Counsellor Level 1, etc. She studied hard to become a social welfare official but it was hard to get a job and she failed the interview several times. Meanwhile, she became a care teacher in a local children’s center despite the tough competition rate of 27:1. A care teacher position was a turning point toward a new challenge for her. She was so passionate because she got the job with difficulty. She made a lot of efforts to be close to children and colleagues.

However, she was tiny considering her age, had differences about the way to educate the children, and used unfamiliar vocabulary. So she spent more time alone as time went by and she became less passionate about her work. She spent less time with the children.

“Future Happiness Account” Is the Seed Money That Cannot Be Given Up.

It was hard but she did not give up easily just because of the hardships. She failed the new challenge but she did not become disappointed and started to figure out a new exit. Ms. Kim, who learned that she had the potential to be a businesswoman using an occupational psychology test, decided to start the business that she had dreamed of. It was hard for her at first to live only with the income from her company when she signed up for the “Future Happiness Account”, so she started a part-time job while studying and working. She worked part-time in a toast shop in Cheonan station for 3 and half years.

She was highly energized by the money deposited in her account and worked hard for her life, but she had to face various hazards. The economic crisis has been more serious due to Covid 19 and she had more days off than working days due to the company’s difficulty in its operation. She had to work the convenience store part-time job again that she stopped for a while due to the recommendation of the company. 

Though she started this part-time job in order to survive, she said it was fun and enjoyable. She worked part-time there and became interested in establishing a new business after observing how well the owner operated. She often participated in the start-up briefings hosted by Cheonan city and created her own infrastructure. Also, she made a lot of effort, staying up nights to know more and more about creating a business. She has been passionate about being economically independent to the point that she has not slept for more than 5 hours per day and thinks learning is significant.

Is it said that opportunity comes to those who are ready. The chance came to her. She heard the news that the Cheonan Terminal branch of 7-eleven had to make a contract again because the original one had expired. It got a lot of interest from many people since it is in the best business district in Cheonan city. She did not have the business experience but challenged herself for an adventure called start-up. Other challengers quibbled over everything about the business district but she signed the contract without any condition.

She had never created a business before but she decided to do so, believing in her experience, confidence and desperate feelings. She said it was hard to make the contract because she did not know the stipulations or information about the contract well. She advised North Korean refugees to actively participate in the start-up education provided by the Korea Hana Foundation or the government if they are dreaming of a start-up, saying that they are going to have the same difficulties if they get to create a business. It was hard to start the business but her convenience store started to make a lot of profits from the beginning because of her passion and effort. It is a miracle that the sales in the convenience store per day has increased by 800 USD and it got a high score in the evaluation of the store’s head office.

Seed Money Is the Key to Open the Door for Opportunity.

Ms. Kim said the money she deposited in the ‘Future Happiness Account’ has been a good foundation of the business. This is because she accepted the challenge of creating a business believing in the seed money she had saved, though it was hard to deposit all of it.

At first, she made a safety contract with the franchise headquarters. It was the contract to minimize loss with fewer profits. She prioritized gaining experience than making profits since it was her first business. After 6 months of probation contract period, the headquarters suggested a 4-year re-contract. It meant that they were convinced and trusted her that much.

The headquarters evaluated her passion and professional spirit high and made another suggestion. They let her operate the 7-Eleven at Soonchunhyang University Hospital. It was the store that the headquarters must have been pondering who would be a good owner. It was proof that the headquarters trusted her that they let her take the store.

She said it is not like that the sales increased just because the business district is good. She said that she is also consistent with her own principle to treat and welcome the customer kindly though he/she visits only once. She also highlighted that shop display and cleanliness are important. She proudly says that the profits have increased much more than that of the previous owner with these efforts.

She always considered every moment significant because the time is sales and credit. Her temperament as a businesswoman and brave decision maker made her grow into an excellent entrepreneur. She added that it is important to operate according to reality no matter what it is, saying that the reason she could be successful so fast is because of her precious experience via her long-term part-time job. 

Representative Kim did not forget about the significance of the seed money to prepare her well for the future. She says that when she was nominated to take the convenience store position at Soonchunhyang Hospital, it would have been impossible to accept without the seed money. The regional Hana center is also paying attention to the successful business of Representative Kim Ju-hee. She is also getting requests to give lectures to North Korean refugees. She finished the interview telling her own thoughts about the successful settlement of North Korean refugees.

“There are many supporting policies of the government for the successful settlement of North Korean refugees. You have to settle down in South Korean society successfully utilizing these policies. We can make the intention of this policy meaningful only if we-- North Korean refugees-- achieve settlement stably and successfully through this policy and program, not with only superficial support. Our successful settlement is the way to break South Koreans’ prejudice toward us and is going to be the foundation of the social integration that we want.