From Eco-Friendly Activities to Educational Support... Secondary Financial Sector Accelerates Social Contribution Efforts

'Sseudam Running' promotional poster. Photo by Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The secondary financial sector is going beyond profit-generating business activities and engaging in social contribution activities.

According to the industry on the 4th, the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association will start volunteer activities to solve the trash problem in public spaces and protect the environment for about a month.

The ‘Sseudam Running’ event, held from the 5th to the 31st, is a type of plogging, which involves running while picking up trash. The name means ‘picking up trash, running.’

This activity was planned to address the recent increase in disposable product usage and the trash problem scattered everywhere. Considering the difficulty of face-to-face volunteer activities due to COVID-19, it can be done individually. Participants pick up trash in public spaces and verify it by taking photos.

Meanwhile, the Saemaeul Geumgo Central Association is expanding eco-friendly social contribution projects as part of its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management policy through the Vision 2025 strategy. It is implementing eco-friendly activities such as resource recycling item donation campaigns and MG Forest creation volunteer activities.

On the 30th, the Community Chest of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul, held the 'Donation Ceremony for the Nationwide Educational Environment Improvement Project for Low-Income Children and Adolescents.' Shin Yong-gyu, Secretary General of the Korea Association of Social Welfare Centers (from the left), Hwang Young-chan, Head of Public Relations and Sports at OK Financial Group, and Kim Kyung-hee, Head of Social Contribution at Community Chest of Korea, are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by OK Financial Group

OK Financial Group, together with the Community Chest of Korea, has decided to support online learning devices and educational expenses for low-income children and adolescents nationwide. On the 30th of last month, they visited the Community Chest and held a donation ceremony for the project to improve the educational environment for low-income children and adolescents nationwide, delivering 50 million won.

The funds were raised through a voluntary fundraising campaign conducted last August targeting all employees of OK Financial Group, including OK Savings Bank and OK Capital. As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the online educational environment for low-income families, employees voluntarily chose to donate part of their salaries.

Choi Yoon, Chairman of OK Financial Group, said, “Educational opportunities should be equally given to everyone,” adding, “We felt sorry that learning gaps are occurring due to COVID-19, so we decided to support online learning devices and educational expenses.”

In the case of NH Savings Bank, as part of financial education to protect financial consumers, they delivered children’s financial books to four places including the Bondong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, schools, and libraries.

On that day, CEO Choi Kwang-soo donated 68 volumes of economic fairy tale collections so that financially marginalized groups in the local community, such as children and adolescents, can acquire correct financial knowledge and sound, rational consumption habits. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, three of the four places except the welfare center received the books non-face-to-face.

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