First Individual Donation for "1,000-Won Breakfast"
Park Kwangwoong, CEO of Onlyone and Alumnus of the Department of Japanese Language and Literature:
"I Will Continue to Support My Juniors' Dreams"
"If I could, I would love to buy meals for every student. As a senior, I would feel truly proud if my juniors could start their day with a hearty breakfast."
A philanthropist from Busan has drawn attention by readily donating funds so that juniors at his alma mater can enjoy a warm breakfast.
Dong-A University (President Lee Haewoo) announced that alumnus Park Kwangwoong, CEO of Onlyone, donated 21 million won as a development fund to support the "1,000-Won Breakfast" initiative for students.
Park Kwangwoong's donation will provide "1,000-Won Breakfast" meals to 8,400 students at the Dong-A University cafeteria over two months. Starting this month, Dong-A University will offer "1,000-Won Breakfast sponsored by Senior Park Kwangwoong" for two months.
This is the first time an individual has donated a development fund to Dong-A University specifically for the "1,000-Won Breakfast" program. Last year, KB Kookmin Bank's Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regional group donated 50 million won, and Busan Cheongnyangsa and Beopjeongsa temples donated 1,000 kg of rice (worth about 2 million won).
Park Kwangwoong said, "During my student days, I struggled a lot and was not well-off, so I always want to help my juniors so they can have an easier time than I did. I hope they study hard and achieve their dreams."
Park Kwangwoong graduated from the Department of Japanese Language and Literature (now the Department of Japanese Studies) at Dong-A University. In 1997, he founded Won Trading, entering the seafood industry through import and export between Korea and Japan. Later, he launched Onlyone in 2008, served as CEO of Bestmarine (2013), and returned as CEO of Onlyone in 2017, raising global awareness of Korean seafood and pioneering overseas markets through international expansion.
Having achieved success through his own efforts, he has also devoted himself to the local community. Starting with donations to care facilities, he has contributed a total of 220 million won in development funds to his alma mater Dong-A University from 2016 to 2024, including the "Park Kwangwoong Alumni Scholarship," focusing on scholarship programs for juniors. With this donation, the total amount Park Kwangwoong has donated to Dong-A University reaches approximately 240 million won.
The "1,000-Won Breakfast" is a program promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to provide breakfast to university students for 1,000 won, aiming to reduce the rate of skipping breakfast and to promote consumption of local agricultural products. The ministry, local governments, and universities subsidize the cost, so students only need to pay 1,000 won.
Since 2023, Dong-A University has been offering the "1,000-Won Breakfast" at the Student Union and library cafeterias on the Seunghak Campus and the dormitory cafeteria at the Bumin Campus. Each month, 4,200 students (including repeat users), or 200 students per day, benefit from the program.
On the morning of the 15th, Kim Jaemin (Department of Smart Green Resources, 4th year), who enjoyed the "1,000-Won Breakfast sponsored by alumnus Park Kwangwoong" at the Seunghak Campus Student Union cafeteria, said, "It's usually hard for me to have breakfast, but thanks to my senior, I was able to eat well while studying for exams. I think this will be a great help to students who are not financially well-off. I also want to become a successful senior in society who can give back to my juniors in the future."
A student is purchasing a 1,000 won breakfast meal ticket sponsored by alumnus Kwangwoong Park at the Dong-A University Student Union Building. Provided by Dong-A University
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