Library Destroyed by Fire Reborn as 'Hanwha Forena Library'

Park Hye-jin, Director of Sonamu Regional Children's Center (fourth from the left), Park Se-young, Executive Director of Hanwha Construction (seventh from the left), provincial and city council members, and Hanwha Construction volunteers are celebrating the opening of Forena Library Branch 101.

The 'Sonamu Small Library' in Cheongju, Chungbuk, which had to close due to a fire, has been reborn as Hanwha Engineering & Construction's 101st 'Forena Library.'

Hanwha E&C announced on the 19th that it held the opening ceremony for the 101st Forena Library at the Sonamu Regional Children's Center in Cheongju, Chungbuk. The ceremony, held the day before, was attended by Park Se-young, Executive Director of Hanwha E&C, Park Hye-jin, Director of Sonamu Regional Children's Center, provincial and city council members, and local residents, celebrating the birth of the newly renovated small library.

The 101st Forena Library is the result of Hanwha E&C joining forces with the local community to revive the Sonamu Small Library, which had closed due to a fire at the end of last year.

The Sonamu Small Library was a small library opened by renting a small house in Cheongju for local children at the Sonamu Regional Children's Center. It served as a study room where children under the care of the regional children's center and nearby elementary school students could gather to receive various educational programs such as indoor sports, art, and music.

However, the facility suffered significant damage, including being completely destroyed by a fire on December 9th last year, and the local community continued efforts to save the small library by collecting donations.

Hanwha E&C, which has been steadily establishing Forena Libraries in social welfare facilities nationwide for the past 12 years, also took on the task of reviving the small library. Employees at the 'Hanwha Forena Cheongju Maebong' construction site proposed "Let's help at the company level," and Vice Chairman Choi Kwang-ho immediately approved it upon hearing the report. Using 50 million KRW from the Bright World Fund collected by Hanwha E&C employees and 80 million KRW from company funds, construction of the new small library began.

Interior of the Sonamu Small Library, which was burned down by a fire at the end of last year

Hanwha E&C remodeled the entire first floor of a newly prepared residential building and newly renovated it as the Forena Library. The old detached house was rebuilt into a clean and cozy space from the front yard to the bathroom under the care of experts.

Park Hye-jin, Director of Sonamu Regional Children's Center, said, "We were considering closing the Sonamu Small Library because we could no longer operate it due to the fire, but thanks to Hanwha E&C's help, we have the opportunity to start again," adding, "We will cherish and beautifully maintain the newly built space."

Vice Chairman Choi Kwang-ho said, "I am happy to be able to restore the space of dreams and hope that the fire took away to the children," and added, "Based on the management philosophy of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-yeon, 'Together, Far,' we will continue the Forena Library creation project."

Meanwhile, the Forena Library creation project, named after Hanwha E&C's residential brand 'Forena,' is a project that creates libraries by utilizing idle spaces in social welfare facilities such as facilities for the disabled. Hanwha E&C has been carrying out continuous activities for 12 years since 2011, with Hanwha E&C employees participating in over 5,000 hours of library creation and donating approximately 60,000 books.

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