Heungkuk Fire & Marine runs pandemic essay contest

Seen above is a poster promoting Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance's social campaign against the COVID-19 spread. Courtesy of Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance

By Lee Min-hyung

Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance will run a short essay contest under the theme of fighting COVID-19, the non-life insurer said Monday.

The company will receive entries through its blog until Nov. 4. The 50-word essays should include a message of encouragement for the nation to overcome the pandemic crisis, according to the firm.

Heungkuk will pick 30 pieces for awards. Award winners will be given a gift certificate worth as high as 500,000 won. Additionally, 70 participants will receive a special gift, the company said.

Those who want to join the event can simply write the short essay regardless of the style of the message ― such as for fun or consolation.

The campaign is part of the firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR) drive held in partnership with local fruit farms. Those who join an offline vote for the event will be given fruit grown locally.

“We expect the campaign to help encourage the depressed social mood due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic,” an official from the company said. “We will keep communicating with customers through such events.”

The mid-tier non-life insurer here has been active in fulfilling its CSR campaigns. Aside from the virus-related events, the company provided emergency relief items to flooding victims during the rainy season in September.

The company delivered a 10,000 items worth 10 million won ― such as instant noodles, canned food and instant rice ― to a relief organization.

The company decided to carry out the campaign to help people overcome damage from heavy rainfall and offer consolation for them.

Last month, employees of the insurer held a donation campaign and collected 20 million won to help children with cancer. The donated money was used to help support their medical expenses. Heungkuk employees also wrote special letters for the children to overcome cancer. The donation campaign was conducted voluntarily. The company pledged to keep carrying out its warm-hearted campaign to help relieve pain in every corner of society.

“We are pleased to be a part of the community by carrying out a variety of CSR campaigns for those in need,” the company official said. “Heungkuk Fire & Marine will continue to carry out the campaigns for those in need and do our best to become a more socially responsible company down the road.”