Dear fellow students! Have you ever visited a barbershop in CBNU? A barbershop in our school provides fine haircuts at a good cost. It’s been 65 years since 1951 that our school was founded. There are people who have cut hair for half of that time. We interviewed the director of a barbershop: Lee Bong-cheol who has worked there for 30 years.

We heard that you have been giving haircuts for 30 years. Do you have any customers who remain in your memory?

  There are customers who have been visiting our barbershop for three generations. If a CBNU employee who visits our shop brings his children, and then those children bring their children, that is a three-generation customer. We have some of those family customers, and they remain in my memory.

We heard that you have volunteered in your local community for a long time.

  We volunteer twice every year. Since 1986, we have been doing volunteer service for 30 years. The volunteer activities span across 13 different areas, such as helping the elderly and delivering computers to underprivileged students. We go around North Chungcheong Province, mainly in the rural areas. The reason for volunteering is that I feel rewarded in my volunteer activities. I serve as a chairman for Korean Skill Players Association in the Chungbuk branch where I volunteer. Unfortunately, though various organizations receive support from us, CBNU doesn’t get support because of school regulations.

While you have been giving haircuts in one place for thirty-years, what part do you think has changed the most?

  I regret that the perception by the students about barbershops is changing. In my times, dads took their children to barber shops, but these days, moms take their children to hair salons. However they don’t know about barber shops well. If they would come to a barber shop once, they would know that barbers’ skills are good, too. However, such thoughts never occur because they don’t visit our barbershop.

When do you feel most happy or rewarded in your occupation?

  I’m most pleased when guests are satisfied with their hair. Also, I appreciate regular customers who visit our shop after graduation or retirement without forgetting. Some professors, employees and graduates come to reminiscence. Due to this, I feel proud of myself for working for a long time in one place. As I mentioned earlier, three-generation customers are one reward.

Please share what you want to say to the students.

  I request students to come to my barbershop often. I will give you a nice haircut. In the past, male students understood that barber shops were cheap and they cut hair well. However, nowadays, they don’t know about it. If they come here once, students could know that a barber’s skill is fantastic. If they come, I can give a better haircut than large hair salons. Thus, I desire for students to visit a barbershop.

By Shin So-hyeon
sh36@cbnu.ac.kr