CEO Who Donated Personal Savings to Support Free Meal Service Also Helped Company Contribute

Jang Se-wook, Vice Chairman of Dongkuk Steel, (left) is taking a commemorative photo after the donation ceremony for the scholarship project for children of firefighters held last June.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Dongkuk Steel announced on the 14th that it has donated 200 million KRW in emergency relief funds to Myeongdong Babjip, a free meal service under the Catholic One Heart One Body Movement Foundation.

Myeongdong Babjip continues to provide meals to an average of 700 people daily, even as free meal services across Seoul have suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation will be used to support meals for vulnerable groups such as homeless people and elderly living alone near Dongkuk Steel’s headquarters.

Earlier in March, Vice Chairman Jang Se-wook of Dongkuk Steel initiated the relationship by personally donating 100 million KRW. At the time, Vice Chairman Jang said, "I often saw snacks and lunch boxes being distributed under the Euljiro underpass, and it was heartbreaking to see support halted due to the COVID situation. After some inquiries, I found that Myeongdong Babjip was actively operating, so I wanted to help."

Following Vice Chairman Jang’s personal donation, the company also discussed additional cooperation with Myeongdong Babjip. Ahead of this holiday season, they decided to provide emergency relief funds. Myeongdong Babjip is a free meal service under the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul, operated by the Catholic One Heart One Body Movement Foundation, established in 1989. It is located next to Myeongdong Cathedral near Dongkuk Steel’s headquarters. Since opening in January this year, it has been running meal and self-support programs for homeless people and elderly living alone in the Myeongdong area.

Chairman Jang Se-ju of the company has been engaged in community contribution activities for 28 years, expanding the scale of the Songwon Cultural Foundation’s projects, selecting science and engineering scholarship students near regional business sites, and providing holiday living support funds. Vice Chairman Jang has also broadened support to include scholarship programs for children of firefighters and sponsorship of social enterprises such as Beautiful Store.