LG pushing to promote PyeongChang Winter Olympics
LG Electronics’ Korea business division President Choi Sang-kyu, third from left, poses with Korea’s national skeleton team coach and athletes at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa, southern Seoul, after donating 100 million won as an official sponsor, in this 2016 April 1 file photo. / Courtesy of LG Electronics
By Yoon Sung-won
LG Group is supporting the PyeongChang Olympic Games Organizing Committee (POGOC) through brand promotion of the international sporting event, according to the conglomerate, Wednesday.
The nation’s fourth largest conglomerate became an official sponsor of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in March last year. Lee Hee-beom, who has been leading the POGOC since last May, is an advisor to LG International Corp. Before that, he used to be president of the group’s trade affiliate.
LG Corp. President Ha Hyeon-hoi met with executives of the organizing committee and signed an agreement to become an official sponsor for the international sporting event. Under the agreement, LG Group promised to build the POGOC office building in Gangwon Province and produce promotional material for the Winter Olympics including cinematic films, promotion videos, publications and outdoor advertisements. The group will also provide the Olympic torch and medals.
“It is a great honor for LG Group to join the event as an official sponsor of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics,” Ha said. “We will closely work with POGOC and support the committee to host the world’s best Olympic Games here.”
Meanwhile, LG Electronics, the group’s largest affiliate, has provided funds and equipment for the national skeleton team as an official sponsor since 2015.
Under the agreement with the Korea Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (KBSF), the company will sponsor the national team until March 2018. In April last year, the electronics company gave 100 million won ($87,313) to the Korean skeleton team as an incentive for the national athletes.
“We have decided to support the national skeleton team for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, hoping that it will help them get good results at the event,” LG Electronics’ Korea business division President Choi Sang-kyu said.
“We feel grateful for LG Electronics for showing continued affection and interest in Korea’s skeleton,” an official at the KBSF said. “We pledge to achieve good results at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.”
Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled, down a frozen track while lying face down. It was first chosen as an official Winter Olympics event in 1928.
Established in 2006, Korea’s national skeleton team has continued to achieve better results every year, according to the federation. In particular, Yun Sung-bin has been one of the most promising athletes in this event as he has won a total of six medals including a gold last season.