Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
GS E&C supports underprivileged
Students from Hongik University paint a flower on the wall of Bosa Welfare Center during a volunteer event in Mapo, Seoul, on Nov. 12 in 2012. The event was sponsored by GS Engineering & Construction (E&C). / Courtesy of GS E&C
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C), Korea’s fourth largest construction firm, boosts its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by building study rooms for underprivileged children.
On July 27, at the Yeongdeungpo Community Center in western Seoul, the company commemorated the 100th study room it has built.
“GS E&C hopes that through its CSR activities, children in financially challenged homes can have hope for a better future,” said Kim Si-min, senior executive vice president at GS E&C.
“As the company and its partners grow, it will continue to support these children till they reach adulthood,” Kim added.
The firm’s Dream & Hope Study Rooms program has built 100 study rooms in two years. The firm began the program in May 2011 in partnership with ChildFund Korea, the local branch of a global organization that supports children.
The program aims to create space in underprivileged homes where children can study.
However, a broader goal of the company is to stop the cycle of poverty by supporting the education of underprivileged children. To this end, it provides a mentorship program to the children they have built the study rooms for.
“It is a dream to have a decent study room for my children. I felt bad that I couldn’t afford to give them a room to study in due to my financial situation,” said one of the mothers whose children benefited from the program.
The firm holds other activities for underprivileged children, such as Dream & Hope Playground, which financially supports four local community centers, and Classroom for Dreams & Hopes, which improves old classroom facilities.
Employees in GS E&C’s volunteer club support the company’s programs by participating in the events and contributing to the company’s Matching Grant program.
Because of its significant CSR activities, the firm has been on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for three consecutive years since September 2010. The index was launched in 1999 and is the longest-running global sustainability benchmarks. It is a family of indexes evaluating the sustainability performance of the largest 2,500 companies listed on the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index.