KT Supports Gwanghwamun Commercial Area with 'Love Prepayment' Initiative

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] KT announced on the 10th that it will operate the ‘Love’s Prepayment’ campaign, which encourages kind consumption by prepaying for meals at restaurants near Gwanghwamun. Love’s Prepayment is the fourth series of social contribution activities involving employee participation that KT started in March. A total of 270 million KRW has been spent over the four rounds.

KT selected 50 restaurants in the Gwanghwamun area that have suffered a sharp decline in sales and are under severe pressure from rent and labor costs, and prepaid 1 million KRW per restaurant, totaling 50 million KRW. The purpose is to help the local commercial district, which is struggling due to a decrease in foot traffic as companies in the Gwanghwamun area, including KT, have shifted to remote work amid the recent resurgence of COVID-19.

The amount prepaid by the company will be distributed to employees in the form of four 5,000 KRW mobile meal vouchers after the remote work period ends. Employees participate in kind consumption by covering any costs exceeding the voucher amount individually. KT plans to ask employees using the restaurants to follow in-store quarantine guidelines such as signing guestbooks, measuring body temperature, and maintaining social distancing even when dining with colleagues.

This is not the first time KT has stepped up to support local commercial districts struggling due to COVID-19. In March, KT launched the ‘Love Sharing Lunchbox’ campaign, selling lunchboxes made by restaurants in the Gwanghwamun and Umyeon-dong areas at KT’s office cafeterias. From March 16 to April 23, a total of 7,150 lunchboxes were sold: 6,000 at the Gwanghwamun office and 1,150 at the Umyeon-dong office.

Additionally, in May, KT sold 6,000 ‘Love Agricultural Produce Packages’ to employees to support meal supply companies facing difficulties due to online school openings. Following that, KT pre-purchased 2,000 tickets for small theater performances to support the struggling performing arts scene through the ‘Love Small Theater’ campaign.

Lee Seon-joo, Head of KT’s Sustainable Management Division (Executive Director), said, “We hope that Love’s Prepayment, carried out jointly by the company and employees, will help nearby small business owners. We plan to progressively continue the Love Sharing series and expand activities that allow employees to share warm hearts together.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.