Kim Gi-won, McDonald's CEO: "Walkathon for Severely Ill Children's Shelter Sold Out in 18 Minutes... 116 Million Won Raised"

Family Walking Festival at World Cup Park on the 26th
Support for Building Residential Shelter for Families with Severely Ill Children
2nd Location in Seoul Following 1st in Yangsan, Gyeongnam... Location Under Discussion

"Surprisingly, the first 3,000 tickets sold out within 18 minutes of opening, raising 116 million KRW in donations. We thank the McDonald’s customers who voluntarily stepped forward upon hearing the news about creating a residential shelter for families of critically ill children in Seoul."

Ki-won Kim, CEO of McDonald's Korea

On the 26th, Kim Gi-won, CEO of McDonald’s Korea, held the '2024 McDonald’s Family Walking Festival' at the Peace Plaza in Seoul World Cup Park and told reporters this. The event was planned to support the construction and operation of the ‘Ronald McDonald House (RMHC House)’ in the Seoul area. The RMHC House serves as a second home near hospitals for children with severe illnesses requiring long-term outpatient treatment and their families, helping to alleviate both health and practical difficulties and inconveniences.

The donations raised through this event, which McDonald’s planned for the first time this year, totaled 116.61 million KRW and will be fully used for the construction of the RMHC.

CEO Kim said, "Large hospitals are mainly located in the metropolitan area, so critically ill children and their families have no choice but to travel long distances for treatment. We planned this event to create a shelter next to a hospital in Seoul so that these families can focus solely on treatment."

The specific location of the RMHC has not yet been finalized. Kim said, "We are currently in discussions with hospitals regarding the location of the second RMHC." The first RMHC House in Korea was built on the campus of Pusan National University Hospital in Yangsan, Gyeongnam. It includes 10 rooms and rest areas where children and their families can relax comfortably, as well as a library and playroom for children.

On the 26th, the "2024 McDonald's Family Walking Festival" was held at Peace Plaza in Seoul World Cup Park. This event was planned to support the construction and operation of the Ronald McDonald House (RMHC House) in the Seoul area. The RMHC House serves as a second home near the hospital for children with severe illnesses requiring long-term outpatient treatment and their families, providing support to alleviate health issues as well as practical difficulties and inconveniences.
[Photo by Im On-yu]

Although rain was forecast on the day of the McDonald’s Family Walking Festival, fortunately, the event took place under clear weather. Despite the event starting at 9 a.m., participants began gathering from 6 a.m., and a total of 3,000 participants, including families and couples, joined. All wore the official yellow T-shirts symbolizing McDonald’s, hats with the logo, and red striped socks reminiscent of Ronald McDonald, the McDonald’s mascot, as they set out to walk.

The event was hosted by actor Park Jae-min, with marathoner Lee Bong-ju, actor Kim Kwang-gyu, and singer Yuk Joong-wan also participating. When EBS’s penguin character Pengsoo appeared, children participants cheered loudly. Before the walking competition began, Doosan Bears cheerleader team led by cheerleader Park Ki-ryang conducted warm-up activities.

CEO Kim said, "We will take the lead in fostering a donation culture that customers can easily and enjoyably engage with through the Family Walking Festival."

Meanwhile, major partners such as Ganong Bio, Del Monte, Maeil Dairies, Bimbo QSR Korea, Shinsegae Food, Ottogi, John Cook Deli Meat, Korea Food Service, Coca-Cola, Tyson Foods Korea, Pulmuone, and CJ CheilJedang participated in the event by opening booths and hosting various events for participants.