The most familiar place in our daily lives—a convenience store—has become part of a local safety net for suicide prevention.

This is the story of CU Tomorrow, a suicide prevention initiative developed through a partnership between BGF Retail's Eastern Busan Regional Division and Yangsan City. From the project's beginnings to its impact, we document the stories of the people who brought the initiative to life in the field.

Finding Answers in Everyday Life

To bring the difficult and sensitive issue of suicide prevention into people's everyday lives, Yangsan City and CU focused on one of the places people encounter most frequently.

A place that anyone can enter, where people can naturally spend time without a specific purpose or appointment. Convenience stores already have all of these qualities.

Lee So-yeon, Team Leader 

Suicide is not a problem that affects only certain people. It is something that can happen to anyone. That's why we wanted to begin in a place that was already part of people's everyday lives, rather than creating another place they would have to deliberately seek out. 

For some people, a convenience store can be one of the places where they feel least alone. We believed it could also become the closest point of access to help.

Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager 

Working in the field, my first thought was always, "Can this actually work in practice?" But convenience stores are already part of local residents' daily routines. That's what made us realize that this could actually be one of the most realistic ways to reach people.

Ha Jin-sol, Public Officer

 No matter how meaningful a message is, it can lose its impact if it feels disconnected from people's everyday lives. Because this initiative takes place in a convenience store, the message can reach citizens more naturally—not as a government policy, but as part of an everyday story.

Prevention in Every Corner of the Store

Lee So-yeon, Team Leader

 Yangsan City saw an increase in its suicide rate following the COVID-19 pandemic, and statistics showed a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and impulsive suicide attempts. As we examined the data, we began by asking ourselves when people might be particularly vulnerable. Purchasing alcohol can be one of those moments when impulse control is more difficult. We believed that if we could create a natural point of intervention around the alcohol section of convenience stores, it could provide a meaningful opportunity for suicide prevention

Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager

 When we first received the proposal, I honestly worried that it might create additional burdens for store owners or interfere with store operations. But when we thought about it again, we realized that because convenience stores are such an ordinary part of everyday life, they could actually provide a low-pressure environment in which to begin. CU stores are visited by Yangsan residents every day, so we also felt a responsibility to play a meaningful role in the local community.

Understanding Before Persuasion

For CU Tomorrow to become more than a simple campaign, it was essential to build understanding and empathy among the people who actually operate the stores.

Before asking people what to do, we first needed to make sure they understood why it mattered.

Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager

 That was the most important part when explaining the initiative to store owners. The words "suicide prevention" can feel heavy or intimidating, so rather than focusing on negative expressions, we tried to explain how the initiative could benefit the local community and highlight the positive role that convenience stores could play.

We believed that genuine understanding would ultimately lead to meaningful action.

Lee So-yeon, Team Leader 

We didn't believe that simply putting up promotional materials would be enough to change people's behavior. So we worked together on how the initiative would actually look and function in stores—from QR-based self-screening and life-respect education for store owners and employees to the placement of wobblers.

Our focus was on creating a structure that would not disrupt the natural flow of a convenience store visit, while still encouraging people to take that first step toward help.

The Moment a Connection Began

CU Tomorrow began demonstrating its impact through measurable results and real-life stories. In recognition of its contribution to suicide prevention in the local community, CU's Eastern Busan Regional Division received an award from Yangsan City Hall for its collaboration with the city.

Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager

 There is one story I heard from the field that I remember most vividly. There was a regular customer who came to the store every night to buy alcohol. The store owner had noticed that the customer seemed to be in a very vulnerable state.

The owner carefully encouraged the customer to take the QR-based mental health self-check. The customer was subsequently connected to counseling and treatment, and their condition improved significantly.

When I heard that the customer's family later visited the store to express their gratitude, I realized that this project meant much more than what could be captured in numbers.

Lee So-yeon, Team Leader 

After the QR-based mental health self-screening wobbler was installed, more than 600 people participated in the screening over approximately three months. More than 80 people were identified early as being at high risk and were connected to counseling and treatment. What I find most meaningful is that through CU Tomorrow, people did not have to seek out a special place to receive help. They could naturally enter a community safety net through a familiar part of their everyday lives—a convenience store.

Meeting CU Tomorrow in Everyday Life

The project has not only produced measurable results; it has also begun to be documented through everyday moments.

To share the story with more citizens, Yangsan City's Public Relations Team worked with CU to document the project in the field. Ha Jin-sol, who participated in the production, describes what she experienced through the process.

Ha Jin-sol, Public Officer

 In my communications work, I often wonder whether a message is really reaching citizens in the way we intended. Through this project, I was able to see firsthand that a story told through an everyday setting can have genuine power.

I hope this content allows more people to naturally understand the meaning of a familiar place like a convenience store and the message behind CU Tomorrow, without feeling burdened by the subject.

 "CU Tomorrow: We Want to Be With You Tomorrow, Too" — 

Promotional Video (CU × Yangsan City Hall Public Relations Team)

"CU Tomorrow: We Want to Be With You Tomorrow, Too" 

 Campaign Introduction Interview (Lee So-yeon, Team Leader / Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager)

Until We Meet Again

The name "CU Tomorrow" carries a simple message:

"We want to be with you tomorrow, too."

It expresses the hope that today's attention and care can become someone's tomorrow.

Lee So-yeon, Team Leader

I believe what our society needs most right now is solidarity. Connecting people in everyday life so that no one has to feel alone.

I hope CU Tomorrow continues to grow as one way of creating those connections, and I will continue doing my part. (laughs)

Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager

 This project has personally taught me a lot. I realized that a small role on our part can sometimes give someone the strength to keep going, and that a convenience store can become the starting point of that connection.

I hope initiatives like this can expand to more communities in the future. (laughs)

Ha Jin-sol, Public Officer

I hope the message that even a small act of care can make a meaningful difference can naturally reach people through this initiative and its content.

Just as convenience stores are always nearby, I hope small acts of attention can become a bridge to someone's tomorrow.

Today, as always, convenience stores remain familiar places with their lights on, close to the people who pass through them.

CU Tomorrow is creating one more choice in that familiar place—a quiet opportunity to protect someone's tomorrow.

 Credits

Interviews
Park Geon-hee, Senior Manager, BGF Retail Eastern Busan Sales Team 5
Lee So-yeon, Team Leader, Yangsan Mental Health Welfare Center
Ha Jin-sol, Public Officer, Yangsan City Hall Public Relations Team, 

Communications Division

Written by Choi Hyo-jung
Edited by Kim Do-hee
Photography by Kim Hong-il

Hashtags
#CU_NOW #SuicidePreventionCampaign #CU_EasternBusanRegionalDivision #YangsanCity