HD Hyundai chairman honors war heroes

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun wipes a tombstone of a war veteran with group executives and employees at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Friday. Courtesy of HD Hyundai

HD Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Ki-sun spared time to pay respect to war heroes buried at national cemeteries in Korea as June marks the Month of Patriots and Veterans.

Chung and 200 employees of the group visited the Seoul National Cemetery and other sites managed by the government in Yeongcheon City, North Gyeongsang Province, and Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province, the company said Sunday. HD Construction Equipment President and CEO Moon Jae-young joined Chung.

At the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Chung laid flowers and burned an incense to pay tribute. At the cemetery's Zone 25, he removed weeds and cleaned gravestones.

Chung previously visited a national cemetery in Manila, Philippines, and sought fallen heroes of the 1950-53 Korean War while visiting the country as part of Korea’s national economic envoy last March.

Chung’s visit to the Seoul cemetery involved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to build overseas commemorative facilities for Korean War heroes. The first such project will take place in Ethiopia, the only African country that had sent a platoon of soldiers to Korea during the war

Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul and Moon agreed to build the project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Under the MOU, HD Construction Equipment will provide supportive measures including machines for the construction job. Chung and Ethiopian Ambassador to Korea Dessie Dalkie Dukamo witnessed the MOU signing.

“It is our responsibility to remember and pass down to future generations the sacrifice and dedication of the veterans who faced fear without a single moment of hesitation,” Chung said. “HD Hyundai will continue to stand together in honoring and remembering those who dedicated their lives to our nation.”

HD Hyundai has been donating funds and everyday items to families of Korean veterans and those with national merit. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the group’s maritime engineering and shipbuilding subsidiaries, have been taking turns donating 20 million won ($13,000) each year to the children of ROK Navy soldiers since 2021. HD Construction Equipment has been renovating the residences of the families of those with national merit since 2021 in collaboration with the ministry.