LG HelloVision Supports Smartphones and Communication Fees for Youth Leaving Childcare Facilities

Regional Channel TV Commercial Broadcast and Spotlighted on Current Affairs Program 'Hello Issue Talk'

From the left) Yoon Yong, Executive Vice President and CRO of LG HelloVision, Shin Seon, campaigner for 'Eighteen Adults', and Kwon Chan, Secretary General of the Beautiful Foundation, are posing for a commemorative photo at the fund donation ceremony for supporting communication expenses and raising awareness for children aging out of care.
[Photo by LG HelloVision]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] LG HelloVision announced on the 23rd that it will support communication fees for two years for youth aging out of care and those scheduled to leave childcare facilities, and will conduct awareness improvement campaigns in connection with local channels and Hello Mobile.

Youth aging out of care refers to children who have turned 18 or must leave childcare facilities upon achieving the purpose of protection and become independent. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, about 2,600 youth aging out of care enter society each year.

For youth aging out of care who must become independent with a settlement fund of 5 million KRW, monthly fixed communication fees pose a significant burden. When minors open mobile phone accounts, parental or guardian consent is required considering situations like unpaid bills. Sometimes, childcare facility staff act as legal representatives and bear the burden of overdue communication fees.

LG HelloVision, a budget phone service provider, partnered with the Beautiful Foundation to reduce the communication fee burden for youth aging out of care and prepared this support project. For the next two years, communication fees and smartphones will be provided to youth aging out of care and those scheduled to leave childcare facilities who wish to participate. The supported plan is 'The Good Data SIM 11GB,' a product that allows unlimited voice, text, and data usage at about half the cost of major carriers. The 'LG Q92' smartphone will also be provided to youth aging out of care who wish to receive it.

An awareness improvement campaign to support the healthy independence of youth aging out of care will also be conducted. It will be held together with youth aging out of care campaigners participating in the Beautiful Foundation's 'Eighteen Adults' campaign. The campaign video will be broadcast for three months through local channel TV advertisements. Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member Lee Jin-yeon and campaigner Shin Seon will appear on the local channel current affairs talk program 'Hello Issue Talk' to discuss the difficulties faced by youth aging out of care and the need for institutional support.

Yoon Yong, Executive Vice President and CRO of LG HelloVision, said, "We will support the healthy independence of youth aging out of care by utilizing budget phone services and local channels in a multidimensional way," adding, "We will do our best to ensure that no one has difficulty using communication services, which have become inseparable from daily life."