Yoon Ja-young is in charge of articles translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times. She is interested in improving the newspaper through AI.
Hanwha E&C opens library for disabled
Hanwha Engineering and Construction CEO Choi Kwang-ho, second from left, makes a bookshelf with other Hanwha employees in the 50th library the company built for the disabled, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Hanwha E&C
By Yoon Ja-young
By Yoon Ja-young
Hanwha Engineering and Construction (E&C) opened a library for the disabled at the Eden Welfare Center for the Disabled in Seoul, Wednesday, as part of its social contribution program.
The company held an opening ceremony for “The Dream and Green Library,” in which its employees and executives including CEO Choi Kwang-ho participated.
Hanwha has been building the libraries in cooperation with the Seoul Association of Welfare Institutes for the Disabled. Beginning with a library opened in March 2011, it has thus far opened 50 libraries. It plans to open the 60th library by the end of next year.
The project is especially meaningful as the employees and executives of Hanwha E&C participate in the construction. They have been building libraries in spaces left idle in welfare centers for the disabled. They also donate books. The company has donated around 1,000 books to each library. The company also continues its support to make sure those who want to read will have easy access to the library.
“We plan to contribute to the welfare of local communities by building libraries. We will also expand the culture of donation and sharing at Hanwha,” Choi said.
“We will think of more ways to establish social contribution programs that we, as a construction company, can do well, such as building and donating libraries,” he added.
Hanwha E&C organized over 100 social contribution activities last year, with around 1,900 employees and executives participating. This year, their volunteering activities totaled around 10,000 hours.
The company has especially focused on programs nurturing the young. Its architecture classes received favorable responses from children and teenagers dreaming of becoming an architect.
It also invited children of The Dream Tree Village, a shelter for underprivileged children, to a trip to the publishers’ cluster in Paju and organized a meeting with an architect to enhance their understanding of architecture.