S. Korea's first KFC restaurant closes due to Covid-19 impact

South Korea’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) store located in Jongno, central Seoul, ceased operating Monday due to the pandemic’s impact, which pushed the store’s maintenance cost while keeping customers from outdoor dining.

A spokesperson for KFC Korea said that other than COVID-19, maintenance cost for the store was also high because it was housed in a very old building.

The opening of the Jongno branch in 1984 was deemed newsworthy enough to be reported in the newspapers.

Eventually, it became a favorite meeting place for young people.

The store was featured in the 2013 retro romantic series “Reply 1994” as the venue where the characters had blind dates.

KFC’s decision follows several other retail closures in Jongno, including a Hollys Coffee branch and Giordano store last year.

Jongno and other commercial districts Myeongdong and Itaewon were particularly hit hard by Covid-19 because they attract tourists.

KFC, which runs around 200 stores in Korea, suffered net losses of 2.85 billion won net losses in 2020, up 190 percent from 983.8 million won in 2019.