Kakao Mobility Holds the 1st '2023 Road Heroes' Awards Ceremony

On the 26th, the nine Heroes of the Year and two journalists who received awards last year posed for a commemorative photo with Professor Kim Kyung-il, who gave a special lecture, Vice President Ahn Kyu-jin, and Director Shin Dong-hoon of Kakao Mobility. (Photo by Kakao Mobility)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Kakao Mobility announced on the 27th that it held the 1st ‘Road Heroes’ Awards Ceremony and presented plaques and prize money to nine taxi drivers.

‘Road Heroes’ is an awards ceremony established to express gratitude to taxi drivers who provide safe transportation services for users and have a positive influence on society as a whole. It was officially established about four months after a commendation was given in September last year to two Kakao T Venti drivers whose good deeds were reported by passengers.

The ceremony held on the 26th at Community House Masil in Jung-gu, Seoul, invited a total of 11 taxi drivers, including the nine selected as this year’s heroes and the two drivers who received commendations last September.

Kakao Mobility received about 900 various stories through the ‘Road Heroes’ webpage and MBC Radio’s ‘Women’s Era’ during December. Among them, nine individuals who contributed to improving taxi culture and realizing a just society based on their professionalism and spirit of sacrifice as taxi drivers were selected as the 2023 ‘Road Heroes’.

The awardees include ▲a driver who safely guided a passenger with dementia to the police station and handed her over to her family ▲a driver who has been personally visiting and helping a lonely elderly passenger by providing food for several years ▲a driver who, upon hearing a story that a passenger left 5 million won in cash for their father’s hospital bills in a previous taxi, searched among local taxis to find it ▲a driver in Jeju who bought snow chains and gave a free ride to a driver stranded on the roadside due to heavy snow and strong winds ▲a driver who, after obtaining consent from an existing passenger, took an emergency child to the hospital and even paid the hospital bill.

The ceremony also featured various programs, including ▲‘Road Heroes Gallery,’ where storytelling videos about each awardee’s story were watched together ▲a special lecture on ‘The Life of Road Heroes’ by Professor Kyung-il Kim from Ajou University’s Department of Psychology ▲a ‘Healing Talk Program’ to discover one’s positivity with a psychology professor and counseling consultant ▲a ‘Healing Therapy Program’ providing physical and mental relaxation for awardees and their families.

Meanwhile, Kakao Mobility plans to produce an advertising campaign featuring the stories of these awardees’ good deeds to continuously improve the perception of taxi drivers. In the future, the scope will be expanded to the entire mobility industry, including taxi, designated driver, and delivery/quick courier drivers, to express gratitude and commend workers who practice good deeds.

Ahn Gyu-jin, Vice President of Kakao Mobility’s Business Division, said, “This officially held Road Heroes Awards Ceremony is especially meaningful because the heroes were directly reported and recommended by the public. Kakao Mobility plans to further expand opportunities to express gratitude to taxi drivers by discovering and spreading their positive influence as part of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, and through fund projects such as medical and livelihood support for taxi drivers, Master Awards, and Heroes Awards.”