Hanwha to hire sailors’ relatives

Hanwha Group will hire members of the bereaved families of the sailors who died aboard the Cheonan, the company said Monday.

The military contractor made the decision at the prompting of Chairman Kim Seung-youn, who said, “We should ponder what we can do for the bereaved families.”

The South Korean Navy patrol boat sank near the inter-Korean border in the Yellow Sea on March 26, taking with it 46 soldiers.

Hanwha Corporation, a leading affiliate of the group, produces propulsion components for missiles and various weapons. Its gunpowder division and its affiliates plan to employ wives, children or siblings of the men lost in the disaster.

Hanwha notified the Navy and the families of the plan, and promised to match the relatives’ ages and work experience to suitable positions.

“We hope that this would provide some condolence to the grieving families,” said Chang Il-hyung, an executive at the group.

Meanwhile Samsung Group said it will donate 3 billion won ($2.7 million) to the surviving families.

The donation was handed to KBS, the Korean broadcaster which has been collecting donations from various groups.

By Limb Jae-un [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]