LG Increases Native Honeybee Population from 1 Million to 4 Million in One Year

Collaboration with Korea’s First Master Beekeeper to Multiply "Halla Native Bees"
Supporting Beekeepers Affected by Losses and Nurturing Beekeepers with Developmental Disabilities

LG is achieving concrete results in its native honeybee protection initiative, a project launched as part of efforts to preserve the natural ecosystem.

On May 20, LG announced that it has increased the population of native honeybees to 4 million this year—four times higher than the previous year—at the "Halla Native Bee" habitat established on Jeonggwangsan Mountain near Hwadam Forest Ecological Arboretum in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

Master Kim Daerip is inspecting the breeding condition of native honeybees in the native honeybee habitat created by LG. LG

Native honeybees, which play a key role in maintaining Korea's natural ecosystem, saw their population decline by approximately 98% in the 2010s due to sacbrood virus outbreaks. More recently, the climate crisis has compounded these difficulties, placing the species in a critically endangered state where natural recovery is nearly impossible.

In response, since last year LG has been collaborating with Kim Daerip, who is recognized as Korea’s first master of native bee cultivation, to carry out a protection project. The goal is to double the native honeybee population every year through 2027.

Kim Daerip commented, "This project began with LG's sense of urgency that the extinction of honeybees would lead to a food crisis, and in just one year, we have succeeded in quadrupling the population. Moving forward, I will continue to provide technical support for protecting native honeybees in partnership with LG."

Leveraging Master Kim’s expertise in beekeeping, LG is creating an environment where native honeybees can establish stable colonies and is expanding nectar plants near the habitat to serve as sources of honey and pollen.

After securing the appropriate beekeeping scale of 4 million native honeybees, LG plans to support local beekeepers who have suffered losses by distributing surplus native honeybees in partnership with Becomfriends, a leading social enterprise in the domestic beekeeping sector. LG is also running a program with Becomfriends to foster beekeepers with developmental disabilities.

Kim Jiyeong, CEO of Becomfriends, stated, "This collaboration with LG will provide people with developmental disabilities new opportunities to communicate with society and achieve independence. For them, beekeeping is more than a job—it is a bridge to connect with the community."

An LG representative emphasized, "The native honeybee project is not only about protecting a single species, but also about helping to restore Korea’s natural ecosystem. We will continue to fulfill our corporate responsibility by creating a sustainable ecosystem where nature and humanity coexist, and by preserving biodiversity."

Meanwhile, Koo Kwang-mo, CEO of LG Corp., highlighted in the company’s ESG report the importance of responding to climate crises such as droughts, floods, and global warming, and stressed LG’s commitment to exploring and implementing diverse ways to contribute to society for the benefit of future generations.

The United Nations has designated May 20 as "World Bee Day" every year since 2018 to raise awareness of the importance of bees in protecting ecosystems and to encourage action to conserve them.

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