KB Financial Liv Championship Opens on 27th... "Operating the Tournament with an Eco-Friendly Message"

Eco-friendly Golf Tournament with ESG Values and Community Co-prosperity

[Asia Economy Reporter Sunmi Park] KB Financial Group announced on the 24th that it will host the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Korean Tour ‘KB Financial Live Championship (total prize money 700 million KRW, winner’s prize 140 million KRW)’ at Blackstone Icheon Golf Club (par 72, 7,284 yards) for four days from the 27th to the 30th.

Kim Juhyung (18), who broke records as the youngest winner (18 years and 21 days) and the fastest winner after joining the KPGA Korean Tour by winning last year’s KPGA Gunsan CC Open (3 months and 17 days, 109 days), has thrown down the gauntlet to win the KB Financial Live Championship. Super rookie Kim Dong-eun (23), a former national team member, is aiming for his second victory this season, building on his win at the KPGA Gunsan CC Open.

The challenges from existing KPGA strong players are also fierce. Heo Inhoe (33), who lifted the trophy for the first time in six years at this year’s GS Caltex Maekyung Open and rose to first place in the prize money rankings, is aiming for back-to-back wins. Kim Taehoon (35), last year’s Genesis Points leader, also announced his comeback through this tournament.

KB Financial Group, practicing ESG (environment, social, and governance) activities across all areas of corporate activities through ‘KB Green Wave 2030,’ added the values of eco-friendliness and coexistence to this tournament as well. Genesis participated as the first domestic golf tournament hole-in-one sponsor with the G80 electric vehicle model, and Samsung C&T’s eco-friendly plant interior air purification product ‘Fore Smart Garden Wall’ also joined as a hole-in-one sponsor. For the first time in Korea, all caddie vests were made from eco-friendly fibers recycled from PET bottles, and hazard sculptures were made by recycling lost balls, conveying a message of eco-friendliness.

Donations were also prepared to support coexistence with the local community and help those in need. If players’ balls land in the ‘KB Green Wave Zone’ at the 4th hole of the tournament course, ‘Icheon rice’ will be accumulated and donated to up to 200 multi-child families in Icheon City facing difficulties. If balls land in the ‘KB Live Zone’ installed at the 17th hole, a support fund of 1 million KRW per occurrence will be accumulated for global families, with up to 100 million KRW to be donated to the Korean Red Cross.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the KB Financial Live Championship will be held as a no-audience event this year, and various online events will be conducted for golf fans who cannot attend in person.

Events such as ‘ESG Acrostic Poem’ and ‘Guess the Number of Times in the KB Green Wave Zone’ can be entered through KB Financial Group’s official Instagram, offering various prizes including local specialties such as Icheon rice and Yeoju Geumsa melons. Additionally, the ‘Guess the KB Financial Live Championship Winner’ event can be entered from the 25th to the 28th via KB Financial Group’s official Instagram and blog, with generous prizes such as Ceragem medical devices and golf equipment awarded by lottery to participants.

Yoon Jong-kyu, Chairman of KB Financial, said, “Based on our know-how from hosting major tournaments for several years, we will make the KB Financial Live Championship the best tournament,” and added, “I hope it will be a time of healing and joy like a refreshing drink for all of us tired from the pandemic.”

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