The Born Korea breaks ground on first Paik's Coffee outlet for special-mission veterans' families

The Born Korea said it held a ground-breaking ceremony June 18 for Paik's Coffee Yedan Lake near Yedan Lake in Yesan-gun, South Chungcheong Province. The project is a cooperative initiative to support the entrepreneurial aspirations of families of South Korea's special-mission merit holders.

The ceremony was attended by The Born Korea CEO Baek Jong-won, Korea Special Mission Merit Holders Association Chairman Kim Yong-deok and officials from Yesan-gun.

The project follows an MOU signed in May between The Born Korea and the Korea Special Mission Merit Holders Association to help special-mission merit holders and their families build a stable livelihood. The Born Korea will draw on its brand management expertise and training systems to support stable operations, while Yesan-gun will handle administrative matters.

Yedan Lake is a leading tourism destination in South Chungcheong Province, centered on Yedan Reservoir — the largest artificial lake in South Korea. The area draws a steady stream of tourists to its suspension bridge, musical fountain, observation deck and lakeside walking trail. The new outlet is targeting a late July opening.

"This Paik's Coffee at Yedan Lake is the first case where our earlier MOU has translated into a tangible outcome," Baek said. "I hope it helps lay a foundation for special-mission merit holders' families to achieve stable independence."