Support for Hope Scholarships and S-BOX
Direct Participation of Executives and Employees
Active Recognition for ESG Management
Gwangju Shinsegae Co., Ltd. has been fulfilling its role as a local corporation through consistent social contribution activities for the past 30 years.
Gwangju Shinsegae (CEO Lee Donghoon) announced on the 9th that it has carried out various social contribution activities for the local community since its opening.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Gwangju Shinsegae is recognized for advancing ESG management not only through material support for underprivileged groups and talent development, but also through volunteer activities in which its executives and employees directly participate.
Since its opening in 1995, Gwangju Shinsegae has consistently continued its scholarship programs. Every year, it has donated over 100 million KRW in scholarships to local foundations to ensure that local talents do not lose hope despite difficult circumstances.
In particular, since 2014, Gwangju Shinsegae has continuously provided 130 million KRW annually, with the total cumulative support reaching 3.3 billion KRW and the total number of beneficiaries exceeding 3,000.
Since 2017, the company has been delivering the 'Love S-BOX' annually for children from broken or at-risk families, in collaboration with Seo-gu Office, local welfare centers, and ChildFund Korea.
The Love S-BOX is one of the company's social contribution activities, providing a package box containing food and daily necessities worth 5 million KRW per month, totaling 60 million KRW per year, to 100 underprivileged households.
Customized packages including ready-to-eat meals, snacks, and daily necessities are delivered to households recommended by five welfare centers in Seo-gu, such as Kumho, Ssangchon, Mujin, Siyoung, and Nongseong.
The total support provided so far amounts to 480 million KRW, and since this year, executives and employees have participated directly from purchasing goods to packaging boxes, adding more meaning to the activity.
The 'Support for Children from Broken Families' program, run in cooperation with ChildFund Korea, also began in 2004 and provides 70,000 KRW per month to 42 children each year. The total number of beneficiaries is 840, and the cumulative amount has reached 730 million KRW.
The 'Hope Delivery Campaign,' which started in 2006, is a social contribution activity characterized by voluntary participation of executives and employees. It uses a matching grant method, where the company donates an amount equal to that donated by employees, and is recognized as a desirable social contribution model in which both labor and management participate together.
The funds raised have been used for regular sponsorship of sponsored children, support for medical expenses for children with incurable diseases, and the establishment of facilities such as the Hope Toy Library in cooperation with Gwangju City Hall.
Monthly clean-up activities of the Gwangju Stream and the surrounding areas of the workplace are also familiar to employees. Recently, to commemorate Environment Day, a Mudeungsan plogging campaign was held with participation from employees. The activity was open to families as well, and participants were provided with a 'plogging kit.'
The annual 'Sharing of Love Kimchi' event, held every year since the end of 2000, is also a significant tradition.
Gwangju Shinsegae employees make and deliver kimchi themselves to ensure that underprivileged groups such as broken families and elderly people living alone can spend a warm winter. Recently, to make the kimchi more professional and delicious, they conducted volunteer work with a master at Gwangju Kimchi Town and delivered it to the underprivileged.
Every Christmas season, the company also holds the 'Hope Santa Expedition' program to deliver gifts to the underprivileged.
Since establishing its local corporation, Gwangju Shinsegae has carried out a wide range of social contribution activities for the community for 30 years.
To help the underprivileged stay cool during the summer, Gwangju Shinsegae has supported the purchase of fans through the Gwangju Community Chest of Korea and has continued to make donations to organizations and foundations such as the Korean Red Cross.
Additionally, the company has provided support funds in disaster situations where help was needed, such as during COVID-19, the Hwajeong-dong I-Park apartment collapse, and the Jeju Air passenger plane accident.
In recognition of these social contribution achievements, Gwangju Shinsegae received an A rating for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024 in the ESG evaluation hosted by the Korea ESG Standards Institute.
Lee Donghoon, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae, said, "As a local corporation, we strive to become a distribution company that contributes to regional development through sustainable management," and added, "Having consistently maintained this commitment for 30 years, we will continue to fulfill our social responsibilities and grow together with the community."
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