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| Korean Air employees plant trees in the Kubuchi Desert in China, Sept. 20, 2016, as part of efforts to mitigate desertification and migratory sandstorms. The carrier will plant 70,000 trees in the area this year. / Courtesy of Korean Air |
By Lee Hyo-sik
Korean Air has been fostering the spirit of sharing at home and abroad to fulfill its responsibility as a trusted corporate citizen, under the leadership of Chairman Cho Yang-ho.
Thousands of company employees take part in various corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities each year to support marginalized groups and protect the environment.
The country's largest flagship carrier has been particularly eager to provide relief goods to people affected by earthquakes and other natural disasters around the globe.
"We always keep in our mind the importance of growing together with our business partners and local communities," a Korean Air official said. "We will continue to carry out our social responsibility and encourage workers to more actively participate in volunteer programs."
The carrier has been planting hundreds of thousands of trees in China and Mongolia to help alleviate desertification and migratory sandstorms.
From Sept. 18 to 20, 80 Korean Air employees flew to China to plant trees in the Kubuchi Desert. Since 2007, the firm has been planting trees to create a Korean Air Eco-Park there. The 4.61 square-kilometer park will have nearly 1.4 million trees by the year's end, according to the carrier.
It also has been planting trees in Mongolia since 2004, establishing a 440,000 square-meter eco-park filled with 100,000 trees.
The Mongolian government recognized the contribution, giving the company a medal for environmental protection in May 2009. The medal is the highest honor granted by the country's environment ministry.
Another representative Korean Air CSR program is to offer free transportation of emergency goods to disaster-hit countries.
In April, the carrier was quick to deliver drinking water and other relief supplies to flood victims in Peru as it runs cargo planes to Lima.
In March 2016, the company also delivered drinking water, blankets, clothing and other supplies to help cyclone victims. It also transported relief goods for other disasters including the earthquake in Sichuan, China, in 2008, and another in Japan in 2011.
"Korean Air has been introducing community service schemes overseas to conserve nature and assist those in need after natural disasters. We also plan to build dozens of schools in Kenya and other African nations," the official said. "We will do more to make the world a better place to live."
In Korea, the carrier has been focusing on supporting the underprivileged and marginalized.
Company employees have been visiting welfare centers for orphans, the disabled and the elderly across the country, donating daily necessities and engaging in various activities together.
Korean Air also offers children from low-income families and interracial families an opportunity to visit its headquarters and Gimpo International Airport to teach them about the aviation business.
Doctors and nurses at the firm's medical center regularly provide free services to migrant workers and senior citizens in rural areas where healthcare is not readily accessible. Company employees have also been visiting farming villages to extend a helping hand in planting and harvesting.
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