SK, POSCO chiefs join hands to feed hungry senior citizens

By Kim Hyun-bin

The heads of SK and POSCO met for the first time in over a year to cooperate at a volunteer event in Pohang.

According to the steelmaker, Sunday, POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and other company employees met at a restaurant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday, to make “hope-sharing lunchbox” that were distributed to struggling senior citizens living alone in the area.

This marks the first encounter between the two chairmen since December 2019, when Chairman Chey gave a special lecture during POSCO's social values-themed event.

The joint volunteer work between the two conglomerates was initiated to help people who rely on local food banks in the Pohang and Gwangyang areas, which have been closed temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SK chairman asked the head of the steelmaker to launch the volunteer project together.

“It is meaningful to work alongside POSCO to help out people who are having a tough time getting food amid the prolonged pandemic, and we are thankful that POSCO accepted our initiative,” Chey said while volunteering in Pohang. “We hope that more companies will join the initiative to make the world a better place.”

Soon after the request, POSCO started planning the hope-sharing lunchbox initiative to help out needy residents in the area.

According to POSCO, the two chairmen share the same view when it comes to helping resolve social issues. That shared view led to the launch of the joint volunteer project.

For the past 15 years, SK has been involved in supporting poorly fed children through the hope-sharing lunchbox initiative.

In January, the conglomerate launched the “one meal project” that provided 400,000 lunches to struggling senior citizens living alone and has been at the forefront of supporting those in need.

POSCO has operated food banks in the region since 2004, and will continue to operate five in the Pohang and Gwangyang areas along with 12 operated by the local government to provide 2,600 people with nutritious lunchboxes three times a week.

The lunches will be pre-ordered from small mom-and-pop stores that are struggling to stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“In spite of a cold wave, we are thankful to Chairman Chey for coming down to Pohang,” POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said. “POSCO's corporate citizenship and SK's societal values go hand in hand. As a corporate citizen we plan to increase efforts in diverse fields to resolve societal problems and create value.”