Cement Industry Supports Establishment of Baseball Specialized Vocational High School... 100 Million Won Sponsorship for Training Costs

Decision to Convert to Baseball Specialized High School Despite Threat of Closure
Selected for Autonomous Public High School 2.0 Contest This Year as Well

The cement industry has stepped forward to support the establishment of a baseball-specialized vocational high school.

On the 14th, a sponsorship ceremony for the Sangdong High School baseball team by the Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation was held at Sangdong High School in Yeongwol, Gangwon.
[Photo by Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation]

The Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation announced on the 16th that it will provide 100 million won for training expenses and other costs to Sangdong High School in Yeongwol, Gangwon, which is promoting the establishment of the world's first baseball-specialized vocational high school. The Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation was established by cement companies including Sampyo, Ssangyong C&E, Hanil, Hanil Hyundai, Asia, Seongsin, and Halla.

Sangdong-eup, Yeongwol, Gangwon, faced a crisis of low birth rates and population extinction as residents who lost their livelihoods due to the closure of nearby mines left the area. The total number of students at Sangdong High School was only three as of last year, pushing it to the brink of closure.

Local residents and alumni decided to revive Sangdong High School by converting it into a 'baseball-specialized high school.' They formed a promotion committee and established a baseball team on August 9 last year, recruiting players from across the country. This year, the school was selected for the Autonomous Public High School 2.0 program and is also conducting specialized education.

The Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation decided to allocate 100 million won for training expenses to allow the students of the Sangdong High School baseball team to focus solely on baseball practice as part of contributing to local community development and discovering local sports talent. The fund transfer ceremony held at the Sangdong High School principal's office was attended by Lee Kyung-sik, president of the Sangdong High School Alumni Association, coach Baek Jae-ho, and Lee Jae-ho, secretary general of the Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation.

Han Seung-yong, principal of Sangdong High School, said, "We will do our best to train and educate the students."

Jeon Yoon-jae, chairman of the Yeongwol Fund Committee of the Cement Industry Social Contribution Foundation, said, "We hope Sangdong High School will advance step by step toward its original goal of becoming a public baseball high school with the vision of being the world's first baseball-specialized high school," adding, "We hope the donations from Ssangyong C&E Yeongwol Plant and Hanil Hyundai Cement will serve as a catalyst for population growth and revitalization of the local economy, ultimately contributing to the development of the local community."