South Korean firms underline their social responsibilities

South Korean firms have made CSR a key part of their operations

Korean businesses are the first foreign community to address in a master-oriented manner in 2012, with effective communications and  pervasive positive effects for the Vietnamese society. The weekly columns in VIR and Dau tu newspapers co-conducted by VIR and the South Korean Embassy to Vietnam have received positive responses, adding momentum for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its coverage in the long-run.

The sponsorship of Cheil Jedang (CJ), a South Korea-based leading multi-sectoral group, for the Vietnamese Taekwondo team was among the first efforts in 2012.  The Vietnamese athletes were funded  by CJ for a full-serviced three-month training course in South Korea and a competition in London. Parallel to the training course a communications campaign was also carried out to promote the Vietnamese athletes. In May, CJ announced a six-year sponsorship for Vietnamese women’s Taekwondo team covering diverse areas as providing a coach, housing and training abroad for the team, as well as financial prizes for individual athletes. 

Also assisting sports activities in Vietnam is Lotte, which focuses on  youth with two programmes: the annual TV reality show Cau thu ti hon and the Lotteria Cup. While Lotte’s Cau thu ti hon show aims to identify the most capable kids in the country for forming a pint-sized  football team, the Lotteria Cup provides a tournament for 50 schools and young football clubs from across the country to compete. Lotteria also funded HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, funding charitable housing in Ho Chi Minh City, and giving aids to storm-hit victims in the central city of Danang. Lotte’s another affiliate Lotte Mart Vietnam has demonstrated its commitment to CSR through a wide range of philanthropic activities.

Jahwa Vina Company Limited is another case in making the dreams of local disadvantaged people come true since it arrived in the northern province of Vinh Phuc two years ago. In addition to providing a modern workplace environment, Jahwa Vina also provided a broad range of activities to support local employees, including visits and support to workers who suffer workplace accidents, rewards for exemplary workers on a quarterly basis, paying year-end bonuses and assisting them during harvest season. Social philanthropic activities not only soothe the hardships of people facing misfortune but also contribute to improving the image of the firm in the eye of the local community. Jahwa Vina plans to extend its CSR activities into the future to deepen ties with the local community.

For Hana Bank, Korea’s leading commercial bank, activities related to CSR are more than an obligation but a reflection of the conscience of its employees. Hana Bank’s initiative in planting 1,000 apple mangrove trees, which are endemic to salt-marsh areas in northern Thai Binh province’s Tien Hai district, aimed to promote social well-being in Vietnam, as was the bank’s decision to finance construction of a standard baseball stadium in Ho Chi Minh City. In its home country,  Hana Bank also helps children from mixed Vietnam-Korea families learn Vietnamese, provides classes teaching Vietnamese and provides an exclusive services counter to Vietnamese residing in Korea and has installed Vietnamese language in mobile banking services based on smart phones.

Everpia Vietnam’s many community-oriented philanthropic activities included joining efforts to fund a therapeutic trip to Korea for a young heart disease sufferer and funded 100 beds at Van Lam District Health Centre in northern Hung Yen province. In the last four years, Everpia Vietnam has founded a specific fund dedicated to philanthropic activities on a large scale funded by 2-3 per cent of the company’s profits each year.

“Contributing to community development through CSR depends on every person and every enterprise,” said Everpia Vietnam general director Lee Jae Eun. “Striving for a better society is what the company has always cherished.”