KT&G Creates 'Sangsang Forest' in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk

Planting 5,500 Trees for Wildfire Damage Restoration and Ecosystem Conservation

KT&G announced on the 20th that it will create the ‘KT&G Sangsaeng Forest’ in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, to restore forests damaged by wildfires and recover the ecosystem.

KT&G is taking a group photo at the 'KT&G Forest of Imagination' establishment ceremony in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
[Photo by KT&G]

The KT&G Sangsaeng Forest will be established within this month on a 1.8-hectare (approximately 5,500 pyeong) area around Hwacheon-ri in Bonghwa-gun, where a large-scale wildfire occurred last year, and 5,500 nectar trees will be planted. To commemorate this, on the 19th, a ceremony was held at the forest site with the participation of Lee Sang-hak, Head of KT&G’s Sustainability Management Division, KT&G employee volunteer groups, Bonghwa-gun officials, and representatives from the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum. After the ceremony, the employee volunteer group directly engaged in tree planting volunteer activities.

The entire cost of creating the forest was covered by the ‘Sangsaeng Fund,’ a voluntary donation fund raised by KT&G employees. The ‘Sangsaeng Fund’ is a unique social contribution fund launched by KT&G in 2011, where employees voluntarily donate a certain amount from their monthly salary, and the company matches the same amount in a ‘matching grant’ format.

Lee Sang-hak, Head of KT&G’s Sustainability Management Division, stated, “We hope that the creation of this forest and the tree planting activities will contribute even a little to restoring forests damaged by wildfires and enhancing biodiversity,” and added, “As a corporate citizen, we will continue to take an active interest in and address various environmental issues.”