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| Olympic swimmer Hwang Sun-woo, left, and Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) player Lee Ye-won, both sponsored by KB Financial Group, wear beekeeping gear as they harvest honey from a special apiary on the rooftop of the headquarters of KB Kookmin Bank, the banking group's flagship affiliate, in Yeouido, Seoul, in this photo released Friday. The two were among participants who harvested honey under the banking group's K-Bee Project. Courtesy of KB Financial Group |
By Yi Whan-woo
KB Financial Group has harvested honey from a special apiary it runs as a part of its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices, the company said Friday.
The harvest marks the first since the country's largest banking group launched a campaign in May to save bees, which are vital pollinators for food crops yet have been dwindling in numbers due to air pollution and other human-created causes of climate change.
Titled K-Bee Project, the campaign was launched on the occasion of World Bee Day on May 20 and the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, both observed by the United Nations.
About 60 kilograms of honey were collected from six manmade hives on the rooftop of the headquarters of KB Kookmin Bank, the banking group's flagship affiliate, in Yeouido, Seoul.
"The world is growing more desperate for wisdom and action to cope with the climate crisis that has become more complicated to tackle this year due to war and the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic," KB Financial Group said in a press release. "In that regard, we as a financial service company will set an example by introducing this campaign despite global challenges and make Korea a better country to live in."
It took about half a day to harvest the honey, with participation of banking group employees plus Olympic swimmer Hwang Sun-woo and Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) prodigy Lee Ye-won.
Both Hwang and Lee are sponsored by KB Financial Group and star in its commercials.
Hwang, 19, is noted for holding the Asian record in men's 100-meter free stroke and also winning a silver at the 2022 FINA World Championships.
Lee made the cut at multiple KLPGA tournaments after debuting this year at age 19, and is considered the strongest candidate for this year's rookie award.
In a message from the banking group, the two athletes said they have been aware of "the serious nature of the pressing threats faced by bees in their survival."
They added that they were happy to join the K-Bee Project.
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