McDonald's sold-out walkathon takes charity to happier level

Participants of this year's Happy Walk, hosted by McDonald's Korea, start a walkathon at World Cup Park in western Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of McDonald's Korea

McDonald’s Korea on Sunday hosted Happy Walk, drawing 5,000 participants to World Cup Park in western Seoul for a charity walkathon. Even after the company raised the participants’ maximum pool from last year’s 3,000, tickets sold out in just three minutes, quicker than last year.

With the event’s revenue entirely going to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Korea, participants in white shirts and red caps crowded the park, not with the competitive aim of winning a race but with peace of mind and joy for sharing. RMHC Korea, a charity foundation that offers free accommodation to families of sick children in need of hospitalization, has been a regular beneficiary of the annual walkathon.

Among the participants was actor Yoo Seung-ho, 31, with an acting career spanning 24 years. He donated 10 million won ($7,200) to Happy Walk and joined the four-kilometer walk. Prior to the walkathon, he visited RMHC Yangsan House in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, an accommodation facility the foundation runs in Korea, and spent time talking to young patients there last month.

The company’s 13 business partners joined the event as sponsors offering merchandise for the participants. Maeil Dairies, Ottogi, Coca-Cola, Shinsegae Food, Pulmuone and CJ CheilJedang set up booths at the park with events and prizes.

For those who missed the event but wanted to join the cause, the company prepared an online crowdfunding channel where they could donate. By registering on the CashWalk smartphone app, supporters have input the number of steps they walked and, as the numbers altogether accumulated to over 1 billion, made their donations to Happy Walk.

“It’s good to see so many participants in Happy Walk this year, especially in this month celebrating family,” McDonald’s Korea CEO Kim Ki-won said.

The event, according to the company, has drawn a total of 216 million won.

McDonald's Korea CEO Kim Ki-won, right, picks cherry tomatoes with volunteers at Purme smart farm in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, March 27. Run by Purme Foundation, the farm hires mentally challenged people. Courtesy of McDonald's Korea

McDonald's, the largest fast food franchise company in Korea with about 400 restaurants nationwide, posted 1.25 trillion won in sales last year, up 11.8 percent from the previous year and a record high for the company. It also turned a surplus, posting an operating profit of 11.7 billion won.

Amid its competition with other major brands like Lotteria, Burger King and Mom’s Touch, however, McDonald’s has never lost its grip on helping others. Selling burgers is one thing and contributing to good causes is another, an ethos that has allowed the company to claim a major market share in the country’s increasingly competitive quick service restaurant industry. With increased operating costs due to rising ingredient prices and wages, dine-in market prices have been surging for months, prompting consumers to flock to more affordable fast food restaurants.

McDonald’s does not donate behind the scenes, but does it together with customers. Proceeds of menu options like the Happy Meal and seasonal Fortune Burger are reserved for RMHC Korea. Together with Happy Walk, the company donated a total of 810 million won to the foundation last year.

The company's donation includes what it is best known for — the Big Mac. Since 2013, McDonald’s Korea has been offering free Big Macs to those in poverty as well as firefighters and other emergency workers. The distributed burgers now amount to over 250,000.

It signed a burger donation partnership in 2018 with the National Fire Agency and has been supporting firefighters and their families. In 2022, the company received honors from both the fire commissioner and the Seoul Metropolitan Government in recognition of its food donation.

In this scene from McDonald's commercial for Taste of Korea, farmers in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, enjoy McDonald's Jinju hot pepper cream cheese burgers. The company released the burgers in July 2024. Courtesy of McDonald's Korea

Beyond charity

McDonald’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices are not limited to funding charities. Each year, the company releases a new burger in its Taste of Korea line, making prominent use of a key natural product from local farmers as a signature ingredient.

The partnerships since 2021 has not just become the multinational company’s exemplary localization strategy. It is also boosting sales of regional farmers who are challenged by rising prices, dwindling workforces and climate conditions becoming more extreme due to climate change.

The company has so far rolled out burgers using garlic from Changnyeong County in South Gyeongsang Province, green tea leaves-fed pork from Boseong County in South Jeolla Province, green onions from Jindo County in South Jeolla Province and hot peppers from Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. All Taste of Korea burgers and beverages have been nationwide hits selling over 24 million items using a total of 800 tons of natural produce so far.

As for employment, hiring workers from a diverse range of age groups and those with disabilities reflects the company’s recruitment policies that center on diversity instead of skill or professional background. Out of 18,000 employees nationwide, 50 percent, as of February, are women including those who lost their previous careers due to marriage or childbirth. Among the company's executives, 45 percent are female.

Over 830 are older adults who had retired from day jobs and 200 are those with disabilities. The oldest current employee is 82 years old, while an employee with a disability holds a company record of having worked for 21 years.

McDonald's Korea donates 1,460 free burgers for wildfire victims and firefighters who fought fires in Ulju County in North Gyeongsang Province and Uiseong and Sancheong Counties in South Gyeongsang Province, March 26. Courtesy of McDonald's Korea

McDonald’s not only hires older adults but also helps them get used to food-ordering kiosks that could have otherwise presented a daunting challenge for them. In collaboration with the National Institute for Lifelong Education under the Ministry of Education, the company last year developed books and smartphone apps to help instruct those in the “digitally vulnerable age groups,” according to the company.

Educational facilities offering lifelong learning opportunities nationwide have been using the materials to teach how to use kiosks, from placing orders to making payments. Under the program running for weeks, the students both learn in class and visit a local McDonald’s restaurant in group to practice what they just learned.

“Because I haven’t been able to use these kiosks, I often asked someone else to buy stuff for me,” said a student from Suwon Jaeil Lifelong School, who was taking the course in June 2024. “Now, I’m ready to take my grandchildren to McDonald’s and treat them without any help by using the kiosks.”

The company in 2023 also updated the kiosks in its restaurants nationwide to support visually impaired patrons with an audio aid, a feature McDonald’s Korea introduced for the second time across the brand’s global market following the United States. As of July 2024, all McDonald’s restaurants under direct management in the country were equipped with the function, according to the company.

The company said its investments in the socially vulnerable consumer groups represent its efforts to abide by the country’s Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination of Disabled Persons, Remedy Against Infringement of their Rights. The law, it added, mandated “barrier-free” kiosks for the consumer groups at all its restaurants in January.