In early January 2022, Korean Re held a new year’s concert under strictly enforced rules on social distancing. It is Korean Re’s tradition to hold a classical music concert at the beginning of each new year, but no event was held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strong social distancing measures. In 2022, however, as the government implemented the Living with COVID-19 scheme, Korean Re was able to organize a concert and invite its clients, partners, employees, and their family members to the event in celebration of the new year.

Before the concert started, CEO Jong-Gyu Won took the opportunity to welcome new employees and their parents, although a large-scale party was not held due to safety concerns. The annual function traditionally would serve as a welcoming party for new employees and their parents with the presence of all members of Korean Re. Speaking of the event, CEO Won said, “I hope the concert will offer comfort to all of us in these difficult times of the pandemic.”

In 2022, the concert was made all the more special, as the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performed together with Yekwon Sunwoo, a renowned pianist, and was led by a world-famous conductor, Shi- Yeon Sung. They put on a series of wonderful performances, with the program consisting of the overture to Mikhail Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyumila, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4.

Korean Re donated KRW 50 million to World Vision Korea to support emergency relief for children and families displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. World Vision International is a worldwide nonprofit organization dedicated to humanitarian aid and development support. Its emergency response to the Ukraine crisis focuses on supporting refugees in Romania and other neighboring countries by providing them with temporary shelters and essential aid, such as emergency assistance packages, drinking water, educational and psychological support, and medical supplies.

President Andrew Morley of World Vision International made a personal visit to refugees in border areas in Romania and called on the international community via Twitter to support people affected by the conflict. Shortly after that, World Vision Korea launched a donation initiative in support of Ukrainian refugees. Korean Re has been strongly committed to creating shared value through a wide range of social support programs, including community engagement, volunteering for international disaster relief, and financial assistance for a child welfare center in Vietnam.

CEO Jong-Gyu Won of Korean Re said, “Recognizing the urgency of the current situation, we have made an immediate decision to support the emergency response by World Vision so as to help alleviate the suffering of those Ukrainian people displaced by the crisis. We pray and hope for a swift and peaceful end to the war.”

Korean Re’s Plogging Day

Korean Re organized a plogging event in January 2022 as part of its environment protection campaign. Plogging, which comes from Sweden, means picking up waste while running. The word is a combination of the Swedish phrase “plocka upp” and “jogging.” Plogging is a great activity in two ways: it helps protect the environment and keeps ploggers healthy.

The event was participated by a group of 25 Korean Re employees, including 17 young men and women who just joined the company in 2022. The Korean Re ploggers picked up litter while walking along the main streets in the Jongno District, where Korean Re’s head office is located. They walked about eight kilometers for three hours while filling up their trash bags. They used biodegradable trash bags, which are compostable and designed to break down into compost.

Korean Re strongly upholds the value of corporate contributions to the protection of the environment and society. Plogging can be a simple and easy way for Korean Re to increase its social contribution efforts. It is also a great group activity for employees who want to improve their fitness and join a volunteer program.

Volunteering to Help Build Houses for People in Need

Korean Re has been committed to fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities in a way that creates value for society. In 2022, we organized diverse employee volunteer programs designed to support underserved people and communities.

In September 2022, three groups of Korean Re employee volunteers participated in a home building project called Building Homes of Hope in the village of Mokcheon, South Chungcheong Province. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity Korea, Korean Re has been actively taking part in projects to build homes for people living in poor housing conditions.

In 2020 and 2021, we could not take part in volunteer activities due to concerns about the health of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic who would have otherwise volunteered. Still, we continued to make financial contributions in support of homebuilding projects over this period. Since 2013, Korean Re has been partaking in the Building Homes of Hope initiative in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Korea to support families in need of a decent place to live. Over the past ten years, our employees have participated in a number of homebuilding projects, helping to address people’s need for safe and stable housing in many communities across the nation.

Beach and River Cleaning

Korean Re employees volunteered to engage in beach and river cleanup programs in November 2022. In cooperation with Human in Love, a non-governmental organization dedicated to international relief and environmental protection, they cleaned up Yongmuchi Beach in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province by removing glass and plastic bottles, straws, aluminum cans, fishing gear, and many other kinds of marine debris. A total of 717.3 kilograms of litter was collected over a period of three days, and the vast majority of the trash turned out to be plastic. Plastic products can be very harmful to marine life because they do not biodegrade quickly.

Yongmuchi Beach has been polluted with many types of litter that ends up along the coastline in many ways, including by the tides and the wind. Man-made debris is often deposited on the beach by local visitors, tourists, and fishers, while some litter makes its way into the ocean from land. It is important to protect oceans and beaches, as they are an essential part of our lives. While they are destinations for a range of recreational and leisure activities, they also protect residents living near the ocean by serving as a buffer against the high winds and waves of powerful storms, and help drive economic activities that are important to nearby communities. In addition, they provide permanent habitats for numerous plants and animals.

Another meaningful environmental protection initiative that we joined in 2022 was the improvement of river water quality. In collaboration with the Environment Action Association, a local environment advocacy group, we engaged in the work of making effective microorganism (EM) mud balls that could be thrown into the Han River to help purify the water. EM is made up of beneficial and highly efficient organisms, and EM mud balls are formed by mixing ordinary clay with EM that can decontaminate the water.