LG Chem Establishes "India CSR Foundation" to Strengthen Community Support

LG Polymers, LG Chem's Indian Subsidiary
Community Support Efforts Following Gas Leak Incident

LG Chem's Indian manufacturing subsidiary, LG Polymers, is ramping up its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to support local community development. Since the 2020 gas leak incident at the LG Polymers plant, LG Chem has continued to provide assistance to residents. With the launch of this new foundation, the company plans to expand its customized social contribution programs and accelerate efforts to rebuild trust with the local community.

LG Polymers Foundation officials are taking a commemorative photo with village residents at the opening ceremony. LG Chem

On September 19, LG Chem announced that LG Polymers has established the "LG India CSR Foundation," a social contribution organization in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP), India.

The opening ceremony was attended by Sribharat, Member of the Indian Parliament; Ganababu, Andhra Pradesh State Assemblyman; Shankar Bhattacharya, Chief of Police of Visakhapatnam; Kim Changnyun, Consul General in Chennai; Lim Sangwoo, Minister at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India; and Ko Yoonju, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Strategy Officer (CSSO) of LG Chem.

The local foundation plans to introduce a variety of social contribution programs focusing on improving living conditions and providing medical support for residents of villages near the LG Polymers plant.

On the day of the opening, more than 300 residents from nearby villages gathered in front of the LG Polymers plant to mark the official start of a newly completed water facility for the community. In addition, through local educational institutions, vocational training programs in tailoring and beauty-professions requested by village residents-are being offered to those who have applied. The foundation's office also features classrooms where local residents can receive educational support and participate in a variety of cultural experiences.

In terms of medical support, more than 6,500 village residents have received medical services at designated hospitals so far. The foundation also plans to actively consider additional support measures for specific disease categories in the future.

Shin Hakcheol, Vice Chairman of LG Chem, stated, "The establishment of the LG Polymers Foundation marks the first step toward building a better future together with the Indian local community. We will prioritize the recovery and development of village residents by expanding a variety of community-driven programs."

Last year, Vice Chairman Shin and LG Chem's top management visited India, met with the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and residents near the plant, and announced additional support measures worth 1.2 billion rupees (approximately 20 billion won). To date, the company has provided living support funds to about 6,000 households in villages near the site of the incident.

Through new investments, LG Chem is operating an ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) compound plant with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. The LG Polymers accident occurred in May 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown, when process materials stored for a long period in the plant's storage tank leaked. Immediately after the accident, the Andhra Pradesh state government provided consolation payments totaling about 6 billion won to affected residents, and LG Polymers has deposited more than 20 billion won in escrow to date, as ordered by the authorities.

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