[Sponsored Report] KDB shares love and kimchi with neighbors

Lee Dong-geol, chairman of Korea Development Bank, and members of the Seoul Saemaul Women’s Club make kimchi at the 2016 Sharing Gimjang with Love event earlier this month. [KOREA DEVELOPMENT BANK]

Korea Development Bank held its annual Sharing Gimjang with Love event from Nov. 8 to 9 at the KDB Park of its main office in Yeouido, western Seoul. More than 250 people participated in the event, including Lee Dong-geol, the bank’s chairman, as well as staff, executives, board of directors and members of the Seoul Saemaul Women’s Club.

KDB handed out 12,500 cabbages worth of kimchi to 1,100 households in 25 districts in Seoul as well as 20 social welfare centers including Holt International Children’s Services. The kimchi will feed old people living alone, children without parents and other needy people in social welfare centers.

Sharing Gimjang with Love has been jointly held every year since 2008 by KDB and the Seoul Saemaul Association to make kimchi from cabbages and chili powder purchased from domestic producers and deliver them to neighbors in need.

“I hope the kimchi our employees make will be a bit of help to our neighbors to get through the winter,” said Chairman Lee, who participated in the event with other volunteer workers.

KDB, which is celebrating its 62nd year, is focused on strengthening its corporate social responsibility activities in education and culture.

It encourages its employees to volunteer with the vision of “sharing hands and warming hearts across the world.”

KDB’s social contribution activities include the work of the bank’s volunteer group and the welfare work of the KDB Foundation.

Major volunteer group activities by KDB employees and their families include various “sharing festivals,” relationships with agricultural villages and military troops, and other volunteer activities to help the neglected in society. These activities can be divided into four themes: neighborly love, love of nation, love for education and love of culture.

For “neighborly love,” the volunteer group has been regularly visiting welfare centers to perform volunteer work since 1996. The centers include Seoul Samsung School, Seoul Sungrowon Orphanage and Our Lady of Mercy Orphanage.

One of the main activities representing “love of nation” is the “1 Bank, 1 Farm Support Campaign.” After establishing a relationship in August 2004 with the village of Yangji-ri in Cheorwon County, Gangwon, KDB has been helping farmers plant seeds and pick red peppers during the busy seasons.

This year, the volunteer group and Seoul NOW Hospital medical team provided free medical services to 150 elderly residents in Yangji-ri, where medical facilities are lacking.

Under “love for education,” the volunteer group delivers lectures on personal finance to students in association with the JA Korea volunteer group. Lectures were held at Seoul Dorim Elementary School in February and at Seoul Hwibong Elementary School and Seoul Deunghyun Elementary School in July.

As for “love of culture,” the group provides patronage support for the development of Korean art and culture businesses. The bank also holds culture sharing festivals for underserved communities every year.

In tandem with the volunteer group, the KDB Foundation supports young people unable to receive opportunities for an education but want to start a new business. The foundation currently provides welfare facility support for the disadvantaged, scholarship and cultural arts program for marginalized youth, and training and education programs for overseas Koreans.

BY YANG SE-YOUNG [yang.seyoung@joongang.co.kr]