McDonald’s Korea Managing Director Melanie Cho visited a store on Jeju Island to express her appreciation to a store manager there for helping a young customer who was terminally ill and offering him an unforgettable restaurant experience, the company said Wednesday. 

According to McDonald’s Korea, Lee Sung-min, a 20-year-old store manager of Nohyung branch in Jeju, helped a family with a child suffering from polio in May. He moved the family’s seat to a more comfortable children’s table and couch area, brought their food to the table and drew pictures with the young customer so that his parents could enjoy their food, the company said.

The incident was made known after the parents sent a message to McDonald’s Korea’s customer service center, after the child passed away recently due to illness.

“Unlike other places where my son suffering from polio was treated with discrimination, at McDonald’s, not even a fancy restaurant or a hotel, we received the best service and heartfelt experience,” the parents wrote in the message. 

They said they were taking a family trip together as they knew time was limited for their child.

“Although my son has left us now, we stored the toy and pictures from McDonald’s that he carried with him always with his remains.”

McDonald’s Korea said Cho visited the Nohyung branch in Jeju and told him that “Staff like manager Lee, who think first from the customer’s point of view, are the biggest asset of McDonald’s.” 

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)