KT, Supporting Hearing-Impaired Children for 20 Years, Holds 'Sori Chatgi' Ceremony with Yonsei Medical Center

At the commemorative ceremony, Kim Mu-sung, Head of KT ESG Management Promotion Office, delivering a greeting speech.

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] KT announced on the 28th that it held a ceremony on the afternoon of the 27th at the Yonsei University Alumni Hall in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, to commemorate 20 years of Sori Chatgi and the 10th anniversary of the KT Kkumppum Classroom, reflecting on the achievements so far.

Sori Chatgi is one of KT's representative long-term social contribution projects that supports hearing-impaired children from cochlear implant surgeries and hearing aids to subsequent rehabilitation, helping children find sound and move toward their dreams. It started in 2003 with the intention of contributing to society based on the essence of the telecommunications industry that delivers sound and has been steadily continuing for 20 years.

Also, KT opened and operates the "KT Kkumppum Classroom" in 2012 in collaboration with Yonsei Medical Center at Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, providing rehabilitation programs such as hearing and speech classes for hearing-impaired children. At that time, the KT Kkumppum Classroom at Severance Hospital was the only space in Korea where hearing-impaired children could receive rehabilitation classes in small groups.

At the event, KT presented a plaque of appreciation to Professor Choi Jae-young of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Severance Hospital, who has walked the 20-year journey of the Sori Chatgi project together. Not only the beneficiary children but also their families attended the event, brightening the occasion.

Additionally, for parents raising hearing-impaired children, Professor Choi Jae-young gave a special lecture titled "The Disability of Hearing Loss We Overcame Together," and Professor Cheon Geun-ah of the Department of Child Psychiatry gave a special lecture titled "Psychological Support Measures for Hearing-Impaired Children and Their Families." Afterwards, a Q&A session was held to resolve questions about child education and share empathy.

Through KT's Sori Chatgi project, over 500 hearing-impaired children have received cochlear implants, brainstem implants, middle ear implants, or hearing aid support, and including rehabilitation treatment at the KT Kkumppum Classroom, a total of about 22,000 children have overcome hearing loss and nurtured their dreams. Furthermore, KT established a sign language interpretation center with Severance Hospital to train medical professional interpreters and has provided sign language interpretation services in the medical field, which contains many specialized terms, to hearing-impaired patients visiting the hospital.

The KT Kkumppum Classroom is also operating at Cambodia's Prey Veng Hospital and Jeju National University Hospital, starting from Severance Hospital. Various special programs such as small-group speech therapy classes, English classes, art classes, music classes, and parent classes are offered. It has established itself as a space where hearing-impaired children can raise their self-esteem and grow into healthy members of society by supporting and healing each other not only through rehabilitation but also by interacting with peer groups.

Yoon Dong-seop, Director of Yonsei Medical Center, stated, "Yonsei Medical Center has taken the lead in various social contribution activities for marginalized neighbors, and having contributed together to overcoming the disability of hearing loss over the past 20 years with KT's sponsorship and cooperation, we will continue to join forces for the holistic treatment of hearing-impaired children."

Kim Moo-sung, Executive Director of KT ESG Management Promotion Office, said, "Sori Chatgi is KT's representative long-term social contribution project that has provided beautiful sounds to hearing-impaired children and supported them to communicate freely with the world, as KT has been engaged in a business connecting people. Going forward, KT will do its best to practice sincere ESG management to break down various barriers faced by marginalized groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly, so that everyone can enjoy a gap-free daily life."

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