HiteJinro Donates 8 Mobility Vehicles to Seniors and People with Disabilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Hite Jinro has taken steps to enhance mobility convenience for elderly and disabled individuals with limited mobility.

On the 16th, Hite Jinro announced that it donated a total of eight vehicles, including specially modified vehicles for the disabled, to social welfare organizations nationwide. On the same day, a vehicle handover ceremony was held at the event plaza of Haeundae Beach in Busan, attended by CEO Kim In-gyu, Haeundae District Mayor Hong Soon-heon, and 15 other officials.

Since 2015, Hite Jinro has been conducting a vehicle support project, and including the eight vehicles donated this year, it has supported a total of 38 vehicles to social welfare organizations over six years. Most of the vehicles operated by social welfare organizations were vans, which limited mobility in residential areas for vulnerable groups with many narrow roads. Hite Jinro focused on the organizations' demand for smaller vehicles and started the vehicle support project.

This year’s supported vehicles are Kia Motors Ray models, including three specially modified vehicles equipped with wheelchair lifts for the disabled and four regular vehicles, which were delivered to seven social welfare organizations in Busan, Seoul, and Daejeon. Additionally, in April, one regular vehicle was first provided to the Changwon Regional Self-Support Center, which operates the bakery cafe ‘Ppanggre’ opened in Changwon, Gyeongnam, to support youth independence.

The social welfare organizations receiving the vehicles are Maria Village in Busan, Gangseo-gu Home Care Support Center for the Elderly, Haeundae-gu Disabled Welfare Center, Hyorim Home Care Support Center for the Elderly in Seoul, Songpa Silver Ttarak, Korea Blind Welfare Center, and Daejeon Dong-gu Beautiful Welfare Center.

Since May, Hite Jinro has started a public contest for vehicle support targeting social welfare organizations in Seoul, Busan, and Daejeon. This year, 106 organizations participated, and final organizations were selected through comprehensive application of selection criteria such as vehicle utilization plans and operation management, followed by document screening and on-site inspections.

The vehicles donated by Hite Jinro this time are expected to be used for various purposes such as delivering meals to elderly living alone and disabled people at home, hospital transportation, and shuttle services.

Kim In-gyu, CEO of Hite Jinro, said, “Since 2015, we have continuously carried out the vehicle support project to contribute to improving mobility convenience for neighbors in welfare blind spots who have difficulties with movement and accessibility,” adding, “We plan to continue sponsorship activities to help neighbors who need mobility assistance in the future.”

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