Despite the sudden downpour, Gori, the four-year-old guide dog, remained calm. During a walking experience in which the reporter's eyes were covered with a blindfold, Gori stopped when encountering an obstacle. Only after receiving a signal to go right did Gori guide the way around the obstacle and resume the route. After about 30 steps, they reached a staircase, and Gori slowed down and gradually came to a stop. Upon receiving a signal, Gori took just one step up and stopped again, indicating that there were stairs ahead and to proceed with caution. The process was the same when going down the stairs. Gori safely guided the reporter around overhead obstacles and finally arrived at the destination.

On the 26th, the demonstration guide dog "Gori" is resting at the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Donghyun Choi

원본보기 아이콘

On the 26th, at the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, dozens of guide dogs, including Gori, were living and training. All the dogs were Labrador Retrievers, a breed known for their gentle temperament and friendliness toward people. The dogs ranged from innocent puppies who seemed to have just started training, to mature adult dogs about to graduate.

The Samsung Guide Dog School was established in September 1993, three months after the late Chairman Lee Kunhee of Samsung Group declared his 'New Management' initiative in June. There was a special reason why Chairman Lee devoted himself to social contribution projects as the first step toward making Samsung a world-class company. In his unpublished essay, "Conversations with Small Things," Lee Kunhee wrote, "The reason Samsung raises dogs to improve the welfare of people with disabilities or to try to change people's character is that such efforts, when spread throughout society, can help raise the consciousness of our entire nation to a higher level."

At the time of its founding, there were no precedents of corporations operating guide dog schools. The International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) did not have any bylaws regarding guide dog schools run by companies. However, recognizing Samsung's sincerity in its guide dog program, the IGDF amended its bylaws in 1999 to officially certify the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School as a guide dog training institution and accepted it as a full member. To this day, Samsung remains the only company in the world to operate a guide dog school.

The late Lee Kunhee, Chairman of Samsung Group, is interacting with a guide dog at the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School, established in 1993. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance

원본보기 아이콘

The guide dogs raised at the school go through different training processes depending on their life stage. First, male and female retrievers with the most suitable temperament and health for guide dog work are selected as parents. Through breeding, about 50 puppies are born each year. When they reach three months of age, they begin about a year of puppy walking. Puppy walking is a volunteer activity in which puppies destined to become guide dogs are raised and socialized in regular households. After completing puppy walking, the dogs undergo comprehensive evaluations, including health checks and temperament assessments, and then begin full-scale guide dog training for six to eight months. At 23 months of age, the school matches each dog with a visually impaired partner, taking into account the partner's personality, occupation, and walking speed. After a month of joint training with their partner, the dogs go through an official placement ceremony and begin their careers as guide dogs.

Since the first guide dog "Bada" in 1994, the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School has placed about 15 guide dogs each year. Over the past 32 years, 308 guide dogs have been placed, and currently, 85 are actively working.

The dedication of volunteers has played a major role in raising guide dogs. Guide dogs require ongoing care and support from people over a period of more than 10 years, including about two years of training as puppies, seven to eight years of service, and care after retirement. Over the years, about 2,800 households have participated in volunteer activities such as puppy walking and caring for retired guide dogs.

At Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School, guide dog candidates are having their photos taken. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance

원본보기 아이콘

On this day, the school held a ceremony to mark its 32nd anniversary. The event included both a guide dog placement ceremony and a retirement ceremony. Attendees included puppy walkers, visually impaired partners, families adopting retired guide dogs, and guide dog trainers-people who have been part of the entire life journey of these dogs. Some puppy walker volunteers shed tears of bittersweet emotion as they watched the puppies they raised begin new lives as guide dogs with their visually impaired partners. Kim Yeji, a visually impaired partner and member of the People Power Party, Lee Yeonhee of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Munhwa, president of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, were also present at the ceremony.

President Lee stated, "The 32-year history of the Guide Dog School was only possible because volunteers, the government, local governments, and all members of our society worked together as one. We will continue our efforts to improve the social environment and public awareness so that visually impaired partners and guide dogs can live as full members of our society without inconvenience."