Shinhan makes kimchi for poor families

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Han Dong-woo, second from right, makes kimchi with employees of the group and volunteers from social welfare centers at Cheonggye Plaza in downtown Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Shinhan

By Kim Jae-won

Shinhan Financial Group said Thursday that it hosted a corporate social responsibility (CSR) event involving a wide range of activities from making kimchi for low-income families to putting up a Christmas tree at a Seoul plaza.

It is the second year that the nation’s fourth largest financial group held the activity under the title “Shinhan Warm Love Sharing Festival” in cooperation with the Seoul Council on Social Welfare (SCSW) and the Community Chest of Korea (CCK).

About 200 employees and executives of the group, including its Chairman Han Dong-woo, made kimchi from 7,000 heads of Chinese cabbages at Cheonggye Plaza in downtown Seoul. Shinhan donated the traditional Korean food at a combined weight of 21 tons to 2,100 low-income households nationwide.

“We will continue to boost our CSR activities by sharing our love with the underprivileged in our neighborhoods,” said Shinhan in a statement. “We appreciate the many citizens who joined in and showed interest in the event.”

Later in the evening, the group hosted a ceremony to switch on the lights of a big Christmas tree at the plaza which Han, SCSW head Hwang Yong-gyu and CCK chief Lee Dong-geon in attendance.

Following the ceremony was a concert with singers and musicians including V.O.S., Lee Beom-hak and Kang Woo-jin.

As part of the festival, Shinhan held a bazaar, where scores of farmers from Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, Inje, Hoengseong and Hongcheon, Gangwon Province sold agricultural produce grown in the regions. Shinhan donated agricultural produce worth 50 million won ($450,000) purchased from the farmers to the underprivileged.

People enjoyed various games at the Family Game Zone where they could donate money to children in low-income households and senior citizens living alone.

Shinhan is one of the leading financial companies in CSR activities, seeking to be a good corporate citizen. Han took the initiative to set up a new slogan of “Warmhearted Finance,” which provides financial services and products customized for the underprivileged.