Hana Financial Group is carrying out a variety of social contribution activities, as a promise for shared growth with the underprivileged in the local and overseas market.

Earlier this year, Hana Bank, the group’s flagship unit, finished a tree planting event in Thai Binh Phu and Nam Phu, Vietnam, aimed at enriching the mangrove woods in the region.

Mangrove woods are thought to help prevent global warming by absorbing Carbon-dioxide and protect coastal areas from natural disasters.

In the event, around 10 employees from Hana Bank and 30 locals worked together to plant about 2,000 trees. The tree planting event was also partly funded by money raised from a “walk and donate” event.

The “walk and donate” was initiated several years ago. Employees volunteer to walk, count their footsteps, and donate 1 won for every 10 steps.

The donations have been used in environmental or social sharing events like planting trees, emergency funds for Haiti and supporting multicultural families.

“Our bank as a global corporate citizen will continue to make efforts to make a better and healthier global world through more meaningful global CSR events,” a bank employee said.

At home, Hana Financial Group is expanding its “Hana Kids of Asia” program in regions including Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where a high number of multiethnic families live.

The Hana Kids of Asia is the group’s CSR program to support children from multiethnic families and help them to understand their cultural background and develop their talents. The financial group runs the program with “Save the Children Korea.”

Korea Exchange Bank, the other bank unit of Hana Financial, held the KEB 2012 Chuseok Holiday Love Sharing Campaign in September. The event is held twice a year ― on Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) ― by KEB Foundation, the first-ever public utility foundation established by a local bank, since 2007.

About 145 KEB branches participated in the event to visit welfare houses or the homes of the elderly who live alone, or child breadwinners to deliver daily necessities as well as help out with chores.

The foundation, established in December 2005, does volunteer work and fundraising events for those in need throughout the nation as well as overseas.

Under the foundation, KEB Love Sharers, consisting of bank employees and their families, participate in volunteer work, including helping out in institutions for the disabled, building houses through a habitat program and delivering fuel briquettes to houses in need.



By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)