South Korea’s instant coffee giant Dongsuh Foods Corporation is continuing to back aspiring female writers and is donating books to libraries as part of its efforts to support the local literary scene, the firm said Sunday.

The coffee and tea manufacturer also hosts an annual go competition, one of its major corporate responsibility projects for the past 21 years.

Launched in 1989, Dongsuh’s biennial Dongsuh Literary Award has been at the forefront of cultivating new female writers for 31 years, according to the firm.

For the 14th contest, held in 2018, a total of 19,017 works were submitted, representing poetry, fiction, essays and children’s literature.

“Grand prize and gold prize winners are given privileges to join the Korean Writers’ Association and debut as actual writers. Dongsuh Foods will continue its corporate social responsibility activities, which can enrich our society like the fresh scent of coffee,” a company official said.

Dongsuh Foods, which controls 80 percent of the local instant coffee market, sponsors the “Maxim Cup,” a go competition named after its famous instant coffee brand. The contest has taken place every year since 1999, and the winner gets 500 million won ($40,000).

The instant coffee manufacturer has been running library projects since 2017, most recently donating 2,500 books to Seowon Elementary School in Daejeon.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)