[One Day Ten Thousand Steps] HK Innoen Walking King "Get off one stop early and take the stairs to the 8th floor"

Lee Hyun-gi, HK Inno.N Manager
Health and Donation Benefits Combined through Step Donation Campaign 'Georeumen Inno.N'

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] "Many people are interested in donating but hesitate because they don't know how to start. I was attracted by the charm of being able to donate just by walking, so I can take care of my health while doing something simple."

Hyun-gi Lee, Manager of the Beverage Marketing Team at HK Innoen, is known as the company's 'Walking King.' Over 29 days, he walked 321,724 steps, averaging more than 10,000 steps a day, gaining a reputation for walking a lot within the company. This is because he actively participated in the company's walking donation program 'Georeum-en Innoen.' HK Innoen has been running a campaign since 2021 where employees and the general public donate their steps through the walking donation application (app) 'Big Walk', and the company collects these steps to donate to children and adolescents with diabetes and children of organ donors.

Image from 'Georeumen Innoen Season 3' conducted through the walking donation platform Bigwalk. Manager Lee Hyun-gi donated 321,724 steps through this. Although the overall ranking is 197th as it was a program with general participants, considering the campaign period, Manager Lee also donated more than 10,000 steps per day. [Image source=Bigwalk]

Manager Lee, who has been participating in the campaign since 'Season 1' in 2021, said, "It was difficult to exercise after the start of COVID-19," adding, "I got motivated to participate actively because I could do good while exercising." In Season 3 held at the end of last year, a total of 503 HK Innoen employees and 15,946 participants including the general public donated 816.61 million steps, resulting in a scholarship donation of 50 million KRW. Combining all seasons, about 66,000 participants (1,833 employees) walked approximately 3.8 billion steps, providing a total of 150 million KRW in scholarships to children and adolescents with diabetes and children of organ donors.

Manager Lee attributed his secret to becoming HK Innoen's Walking King by walking more than 10,000 steps a day to 'habit formation.' He emphasized, "I can only reach about 7,000 steps during my usual commute, and since I don't go to work on weekends, even jogging deliberately only adds a few thousand steps. It's important to gradually increase activity in daily life."

Hyun-ki Lee, Manager at HK Innoen, is climbing the stairs to the 8th-floor office.
[Photo by Hyun-ki Lee]

Manager Lee developed various lifestyle habits. First, he starts his day by getting off one subway stop earlier on his way to work. He said, "The company is right next to the subway station, so it's convenient but hard to walk a lot," and added, "Getting off one stop earlier lets me walk about 1,000 steps." Next, he avoids using the elevator. Manager Lee said, "I also developed the habit of climbing stairs up to the 8th-floor office." He mentioned, "At first, it was physically challenging, but now I climb without much burden," noting that his stamina has improved. Adding a walk after lunch completes his 10,000 steps a day. He said, "After lunch, I often take a 2.5 km loop walk with my team along Cheonggyecheon from Euljiro Entrance to Euljiro 4-ga, and in the evening, I enjoy a walk near home with my wife to reach 10,000 steps."

Most employees participating in the campaign also showed positive reactions. Sol-ah Kim, Deputy Manager of the CR Team, who is in charge of HK Innoen's social contribution activities and proposed the idea for the Georeum-en Innoen campaign, said, "When interviewing other participating employees, responses like 'my weight's first digit changed' or 'I naturally increased my steps while walking hard for donations' were common."

Kim Sol-a (right), Assistant Manager of the CR Team at HK Inno.N, and Manager Lee Hyun-gi are being interviewed at the HK Inno.N Seoul Office in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The company also actively encouraged employee participation. Deputy Manager Kim explained, "Besides informing about donations through internal broadcasts, we created promotional videos featuring employees acting in skits, and sent participation status emails intermittently to foster friendly competition." Manager Lee added, "Being constantly informed of my ranking sparked a lot of competitiveness," and "We proudly shared being in the top 100, continuing friendly competition."

Deputy Manager Kim said, "Due to COVID-19, it was difficult to hold face-to-face activities with employees, so we looked for alternatives and discovered Big Walk," adding, "We started because it was a good cause linking walking to donations and could be done easily in daily life without dedicating special time." Regarding the donation targets, she added, "Since HK Innoen is a pharmaceutical and bio company, we focused on patients, especially children with diabetes who have no cure, and children of organ donors considering their hardships."

HK Innoen plans to continue holding the Georeum-en Innoen event regularly. Deputy Manager Kim said, "We plan to hold another donation event for children with diabetes in the first half of this year," and "We will alternate between children and adolescents with diabetes in the first half and children of organ donors in the second half, and if there are other donation needs, we will participate together." She added, "When talking about ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, it can be hard for employees to relate," and "Through various social contribution activities like using reusable cups and Secret Santa, we try to create touchpoints that make it easier for employees to engage with ESG."