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Hyundai Elevator's choir for disabled wins prize
Members of Hyundai Elevator's choir of disabled people pose at Kangwon National University's Baeckryung Art Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Nov. 14, after the final round of the 32nd National Choral Festival with the Disabled. Courtesy of Hyundai Elevator
By Park Jae-hyuk
Hyundai Elevator Choir of Disabled People won a prize at a national-level competition.
According to the elevator maker, the choir, comprised of its disabled employees, received the silver prize at the 32nd National Choral Festival with the Disabled at Kangwon National University’s Baeckryung Art Center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province on Nov. 14.
The award ceremony will take place at the Eliena Hotel in Seoul on Dec. 4.
“It was meaningful for us to win a prize in a nation-level competition within a year after our foundation,” the choir’s official said. “We will take a leap for the local community’s growth and for disabled people to be self-reliant.”
The choir was one of the 15 teams that qualified for the final after preliminaries in each region.
Hyundai Elevator launched the choir in March, after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities (KEAD) earlier this year to expand employment opportunities for the disabled.
Following a two-month recruitment process, the company hired 20 people.
Additionally, a conductor, an assistant conductor, an accompanist and a social worker were employed to support the choir.
Five caregivers belonging to the KEAD’s North Chungcheong Provincial office have also assisted the choir, according to the elevator firm headquartered in the province’s city of Chungju.
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“We have operated a commuter bus for the convenience of the members living in various parts of Chungju,” a Hyundai Elevator official said. “We have also provided them with the same level of welfare benefits offered to our other employees.”