Hyundai Motor Group Opens Children's Marine Environment Experience Center 'Kids Marine Park'

At the opening ceremony of the Children's Marine Environment Experience Center 'Kids Marine Park,' officials are taking a commemorative photo with children. (From left) Moon Hae-nam, Chairman of the Korea Maritime Foundation; Han Ki-jun, Chairman of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation; Yang Jin-mo, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Group; Kim Kyung-hee, Director of the Community Chest of Korea.

Photo by Hyundai Motor Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Hyundai Motor Group is launching eco-friendly social contribution activities by opening a marine environment exhibition and experience facility for children through public-private cooperation.

On the 15th, Hyundai Motor Group held an opening ceremony for the children's marine environment experience center, "Kids Marine Park," at the headquarters of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation located in Garak-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Key officials attended the event, including Yang Jin-mo, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group; Han Ki-jun, Chairman of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation; Moon Hae-nam, Chairman of the Korea Maritime Foundation; and Kim Kyung-hee, Director of the Community Chest of Korea.

Kids Marine Park is part of a business agreement Hyundai Motor Group signed with the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation in December 2020. It is located on the first floor of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation headquarters and is the first children's experience facility in Korea to focus on marine environment conservation education.

Hyundai Motor Group provided the investment funds, and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation offered the first-floor space free of charge. Both organizations jointly planned the content operated at Kids Marine Park. Additionally, the Korea Maritime Foundation, under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, manages the facility and, together with the Community Chest of Korea, continuously provides experience opportunities to underprivileged groups.

Furthermore, a company that designs and operates "Seoul Sang Sang Nara," the nation's top-level children's exhibition and experience facility, participated in the planning and construction process, enhancing the quality and safety of the experience. Notably, companies that grew through Hyundai Motor Group's social venture nurturing project, "H On Dream Startup Ground," such as Tread & Groove and More Than, supplied eco-friendly interior finishing materials, including flooring made from recycled tire rubber and chairs made from recycled automotive leather seats.

Kids Marine Park consists of 10 exhibition and experience corners tailored to children's perspectives, themed around ▲marine environment conservation ▲marine litter ▲microplastics ▲biodiversity, including ▲"Yaho! Welcome Sea Friends" ▲"Strange Sea Journey" ▲"Marine Life Research Center" ▲"Fly, Green Expedition," among others. Through experiencing the exhibition content, children can naturally recognize problems and explore solutions together.

In the marine litter collection activity content, "Fly, Green Expedition," children can board a structure modeled after the future aerial mobility (AAM) prototype that Hyundai Motor presented at CES 2020. This not only sparks children's interest but also offers a glimpse into Hyundai Motor Group's vision for future transportation. Visits to Kids Marine Park are available by advance reservation through the official website.

Yang Jin-mo, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, said, "It is very meaningful to open the marine environment experience center 'Kids Marine Park,' a sister facility to the children's traffic safety experience center 'Kids Autopark,' which opened in 2009. We hope children will have the opportunity to cultivate interest in marine environment conservation and problem-solving skills through enjoyable experiences."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group has selected six key areas of social contribution as the "6 Major Moves" and has been practicing social responsibility by carrying out related social contribution projects. The newly opened Kids Marine Park will be operated under the "Green Move" direction.

So far, as part of the Green Move activities, Hyundai Motor Group has led eco-friendly social contribution projects for environmental conservation, including ▲desertification prevention projects in Inner Mongolia, China, the source of yellow dust ▲creation of the "Mir Forest" by Hyundai Mobis covering approximately 991,735 m2 (about 300,000 pyeong) in Jincheon, Chungbuk ▲green space creation project "IONIQ Forest" at the Incheon landfill site, contributing to a clean and sustainable Earth.

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