Hyundai Department Store Group Donates 200 Million Won to Establish 6th 'Uridongnae ESG Center' in Busan

With Hyundai Department Store Group donating 200 million KRW, the global social value management project promoted by Busan City is gaining momentum.

On the morning of the 18th, Busan City (Mayor Park Heongjoon) held a business agreement ceremony and donation delivery event with Hyundai Department Store Group and Gangseo-gu at the City Hall International Protocol Room for the establishment of the 6th “Our Neighborhood Social Value Management (ESG) Center.”

Mayor Park Heongjoon, Jang Hojin, CEO of Hyundai GF Holdings, and Kim Hyeongchan, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, attended the event and pledged to cooperate in establishing the “Our Neighborhood ESG Center,” which provides eco-friendly senior jobs that connect generations for the elderly in Busan.

The 6th center aims to be completed by December this year. According to the agreement, Busan City will oversee the project by supporting operating expenses, managing operations and administration, and handling media promotion; Hyundai Department Store Group will provide project funding; and Gangseo-gu will provide the project site.

On this day, Hyundai Department Store Group delivered a donation of 200 million KRW for the establishment of the 6th Our Neighborhood ESG Center (Gangseo).

The donation will be used to facilitate the smooth progress of the project, and it is expected to create around 200 senior jobs.

Busan City expects that the establishment of the 6th center will create a landmark space in the Gangseo area where various generations can come together.

The 6th center will feature a senior cafe, kids library, indoor playroom, and outdoor playground for children. Through the senior job project, eco-friendly resource circulation activities will be carried out, and environmental education and experiences for children will also be provided.

Busan City is achieving tangible results in job creation and carbon neutrality through the Our Neighborhood ESG Center project, which links environmental initiatives with senior employment.

Since the opening of the first center in 2022, the center has achieved the following: created 1,680 senior jobs, collected 75.6 tons of waste plastic, provided environmental education and experiences to 7,160 children, and hosted 1,375 benchmarking visitors from organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Additionally, by achieving 600 million KRW in eco-friendly product sales, the center has established a senior job fund of over 30 million KRW, solidifying its status as a sustainable project.

Our Neighborhood ESG Center received an international environmental award last February, and Busan City plans to globalize the project model by promoting international development cooperation (ODA) projects.

Last February, the center was selected as a winner of the “Green World Awards,” an international environmental award organized by The Green Organisation (a UK-based non-profit environmental group), drawing attention as a model case for eco-friendly cities.

Busan City is also pursuing ODA projects in cooperation with organizations such as UNEP and KOICA to spread the center model to developing countries. If ODA is realized, the model is expected to expand not only to developing countries but also to developed countries that need to address aging populations, resource circulation, and carbon neutrality.

The city plans to accelerate the project and complete the establishment of 16 centers by 2026. The 4th center (Yeongdo-gu) opened last February, the 5th center (Jung-gu) is scheduled to open in June, and up to the 11th center will be opened within this year.

Park Heongjoon, Mayor of Busan, said, “I hope this will serve as an opportunity for local governments, large corporations, and basic organizations to coexist and lead Busan’s sustainable growth. We will thoroughly prepare all centers, including the 6th, so that cooperation from all sectors for the Our Neighborhood ESG Center, which creates social value through generation-connecting and preventive welfare, can yield even greater rewards.”