The buzzing sound of clippers and snip-snip
sound of scissors can be heard throughout the small barbershop. This is the
place where North Korean Defector Lee Young Ja [pictured left; Image: Daily NK] devotes most of her time. This
is the place where Ms. Lee attends to customers of all ages — from 4-year-old
boys to 80-year-old men. Ms. Lee is known for bonding with her customers
through conversation while working on their hairdos.
Ms. Lee’s Rise from Employee to Manager
There is an old saying that goes, “You are
whatever room you’re in.” This was certainly the case for Ms. Lee, who slowly
adjusted and accommodated herself to match her environment. Seven years ago,
she began working at a barbershop. Because she did not have to entertain the
customers, she instead focused on honing her craft with a pair of scissors.
However, all that changed after she became
manager of the barbershop. From that point on, Ms. Lee began to chit chat with
customers about simple day-to-day concerns. She also created a list of regular
clients, who she texts on a regular basis. She gained attention for offering
free scalp massages in the summer and for gifting her top customers with the
latest shampoos. Ms. Lee’s efforts to get to know her customers have created
some close and lasting relationships.
One incident that was particularly
effective in bringing her closer to her customers was a 2011 newspaper article
discussing Ms. Lee’s backstory and describing her entrepreneurial spirit. New
customers purposefully sought out Ms. Lee after reading about her in the
newspaper. They said, “You’re from North Korea?” “It must have been so
difficult to come here all alone!” “You’re picture looked so pretty!” and “I
enjoyed reading about you in the article.”
Until then, Ms. Lee rarely elected to tell
anyone about her North Korean roots unless she was asked directly. She did not
avoid the topic out of fear that people might develop prejudices about her, but
rather because she felt her background was irrelevant. However, after coming to
learn the truth about Ms. Lee through the article, customers began to express
even more love for her. She once mentioned in passing to a customer that she
missed her her mom’s homemade kimchi. The next time the customer came in to the
shop, he was carrying some homemade kimchi for Ms. Lee, who was extremely moved
by the customer’s thoughtfulness.
Encouraging One Another with Words
 Image: Daily NK |
Since becoming the manager, Ms. Lee began
to look at conversations with her two employees with the same level of
importance as those with her clients. Before, she was merely polite and
respectful towards her coworkers. As the manager however, Lee now had to
motivate her employees and ensure that they were courteous to customers. It was
especially vital for Lee to create a pleasant working environment because the hair
salon industry has such a high turnover rate for employees.
Ms. Lee thus chose to use actions rather
than words in order to set an example for her employees. Instead of barking
orders at them to be friendly toward clients, she chose to lead through example
by always greeting clients with a friendly smile. Ms. Lee uses her actions as a
model for her employees to follow. Her actions induced the employees to be more
accommodating toward clients and always abide by the rules. She believes
actions are as crucial as words when it comes to understanding and getting to
know someone.
Of course, there have been times when
misunderstandings have led to altercations. Ms. Lee is so busy on the weekends
that she barely has enough time to eat three meals. On one particular day, she
was busy as ever. So much so that she didn’t even have enough time to nibble on
the piece of bread she brought for her dinner. When the sun set, it was time to
close down the barbershop. Ms. Lee gave the bread she brought to an employee who
lived quite far away because she knew he would get hungry on the way home. She
handed him the bread, and urged him to get going with a friendly push on the
back. The employee was offended because he thought Ms. Lee was in such a rush
that she didn’t even give him enough time to eat a single piece of bread. He
sent her a text, asking, “Why are you giving me a hard time?”
Taken aback by the text message, Ms. Lee
promptly deleted it. She did not want to re-read or dwell on it since it would
only further agitate her. The next day, Lee explained to the employee why she
had given him the bread and pushed him. Through that conversation, the two
reconciled and became closer thereafter. Ms. Lee’s relationships with others at
large became more intimate since she became the manager. By sharing words of
care and experience, they have gotten to know one another better and formed a
community. Ms. Lee has dreams of opening a second barbershop by capitalizing on
her interpersonal skills and filling it with joyous and animated discussion.
*This article was made possible by support
from the Korea Hana Foundation [the North Korean Refugees Foundation].
