[One Day 10,000 Steps One Day 1,000 Characters] The Trend of Walking, Enjoying, and Donating: 'Purnation'

Moon Sun-bae, chairman of Shinhwa General Construction and president of the Dongguk University Alumni Association, donated 100 million KRW to Dongguk University on the 8th. This donation will be used as operating expenses for the upcoming ‘1st Alumni Association President’s Manhae One-Heart Walking Competition’ scheduled for September this year, as well as for the university development fund. Chairman Moon has so far contributed a cumulative total of approximately 120 million KRW to Dongguk University.

Global pharmaceutical company Roche Korea and Roche Diagnostics Korea held the ‘Children’s Walk’ event, a donation campaign supporting underprivileged children, on the 2nd at Daechi Yusuji Sports Park. The ‘Children’s Walk’ is a corporate social responsibility activity in which Roche Group employees worldwide, numbering around 100,000 annually, walk together to raise charitable funds to improve the health and welfare of underprivileged children. In Korea, Roche Korea and Roche Diagnostics Korea have participated annually under the name ‘One Roche.’ This year, about 100 employees participated, achieving a cumulative 100 km walk, pledging to gather warm hearts for children in need by the 15th.

Employees of Korea Roche and Korea Roche Diagnostics are taking a commemorative photo at a walking event for children.
[Photo by Korea Roche]

‘Funation,’ an activity that adds donation and fun to walking for health, is on the rise. Funation is a portmanteau of fun and donation, referring to a culture that enables sharing in daily life through enjoyable methods. Korea Lilly raised 10 million KRW through the ‘Lalalala Walking Challenge’ held from May 5 to 14. The challenge goal was for each participant to walk 10,000 steps, achieving a cumulative 1 million steps to raise 10 million KRW in donations. They exceeded the goal with a cumulative 3,207,688 steps.

Sanofi Korea conducts the ‘Good Steps 6-Minute Walk’ campaign annually on Rare Disease Day. This year, on June 13, participants walked together on the ‘Good Steps Zone’ acupressure path set up at the outdoor stage of Sebitseom, empathizing with the pain of rare disease patients. The campaign is inspired by the ‘6-minute walk’ test, a measurement used to assess improvements in rare disease patients. About 2,000 citizens participated in the campaign.

Lee Sun-ho, Chairman of KSD Nanum Foundation (left in the photo), and Jung Hyung-seok, Executive Director of Milal Welfare Foundation, are posing for a commemorative photo at the donation ceremony on May 10.
[Photo by Korea Securities Depository]

The Korea Securities Depository (KSD) Sharing Foundation (Chairman Lee Soon-ho) donated 80 million KRW to the social welfare corporation Milal Welfare Foundation on May 10 at its Seoul office for the 2023 ‘ESG Green Campaign Project.’ The Green Campaign is a public interest project aimed at responding to climate change and reducing carbon emissions, conducted over three weeks from May 15 to June 5. The campaign included designating one day a week as ‘Good Walking Day,’ using stairs instead of elevators, using public transportation, and plogging activities?picking up trash while walking.

Korea Lilly employees are introducing a walking challenge.
[Photo by Korea Lilly]

On May 22, Suncheon City in Jeollanam-do celebrated the achievement of 100 million citizen walking donations by inviting over 1,000 citizens to the Ocheon Green Plaza for a walking donation campaign event. Under the catchphrase ‘Suncheon City is a Walking City,’ the event featured barefoot walking on the Ocheon Green Plaza Earthing Trail (2.5 km), group stretching sessions, a 2 million KRW walking donation ceremony, and messages of hope for health recovery.

Cheonan City in Chungcheongnam-do is promoting a ‘Walking Donation Challenge’ in collaboration with local companies as part of the ‘Becoming Our Child’s Guardian Angel’ fundraising campaign. On May 19, Korea Career Jobs Co., Ltd. (CEO Yoo In-soon) joined as the first company to participate in the donation challenge. CEO Yoo said, “I am very pleased to participate in this fundraising campaign supporting children’s dreams in a special way, and it is even more meaningful that health is added to the company’s social contribution activities.”

On May 12, Nongshim officials delivered donated goods to Gunpo City. [Photo by Gunpo City]

Gunpo City and Nongshim conducted the ‘Step Together with Nongshim Love Sharing Donation Challenge’ for two weeks starting April 28, and on May 12, Nongshim delivered donation goods worth 4 million KRW. The donation challenge began on April 28 and ran until May 11, aiming for a total of 150 million steps over two weeks. More than 3,100 citizens actively participated, surpassing the previous challenge and achieving the goal early. A Nongshim official said, “Nongshim will continue to practice donations steadily through Gunpo City. We hope you enjoy Nongshim products even more and take care of your health by walking.”