Lotte Duty Free Directly Employs Five Athletes with Disabilities... Provides Salaries and Training Facilities

Lotte Duty Free announced on May 6 that it will directly employ athletes with disabilities, aiming to expand its social contribution through sports.

Seokwone Lim, Head of Management Support Division at Lotte Duty Free (first from the right), and Gwanyong Kim, Director of Galaxia SM (first from the left), are taking a commemorative photo with athletes at the employment contract signing ceremony for disabled sports athletes held at the Lotte Duty Free headquarters on the 4th. Provided by Lotte Duty Free

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On May 4, the company held an "Employment Contract Signing Ceremony for Disabled Sports Athletes" at its headquarters and signed employment contracts with a total of five athletes-two in table tennis, two in swimming, and one in badminton. The company explained that this is the first time it has expanded its employment of people with disabilities, which was previously focused on office work, into the field of sports.

The team of athletes with disabilities will be managed in cooperation with Galaxia SM, a professional sports management company. Lotte Duty Free will provide the athletes with salaries and a training environment, while Galaxia SM will be responsible for professional training and coaching.

Lotte Duty Free has also established a reward system to motivate the athletes. Differentiated incentive payments will be awarded based on their performance in major domestic and international competitions, including the Paralympics, the Asian Games, and the National Para Games. In particular, athletes who win medals at the Paralympics-the most prestigious competition-will receive a special bonus of up to 5 million won.

This direct employment of disabled athletes aligns with Lotte Group's broader commitment to supporting sports. In addition to operating the professional baseball team Lotte Giants, Lotte Group has served as the president company of the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association since 2014, contributing to the expansion of the sports base in Korea. Since 2022, it has also managed a team of athletes with disabilities in wheelchair fencing, table tennis, and swimming.

Seokwon Lim, Head of Management Support at Lotte Duty Free, stated, "The goal of this recruitment is to provide job security so that athletes can focus solely on their training," adding, "We will continue to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and fulfill our corporate social responsibility."

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