Merck has donated 25,000 euros ($29,000) to an Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, multicultural children care center, the Merck Korea said Thursday.

The fund will be used, among other things, for a Korean-language tutor, a computer room and a multimedia facility, according to nonprofit organization Loving Neighbors.

This was the first official activity undertaken by Kim Woo-kyu, the new managing director of Merck Korea, since taking post. Kim emphasized the importance of corporate social responsibility for Merck, in the communities it operates in. 

Merck is an international science and technology company. The Merck Performance Materials business sector launched a Community Involvement Initiative worth 100,000 euros that was proposed by employees as part of an integration program following the company‘s acquisitions of Versum Materials and Intermolecular.

The fund was split into four parts to support four charitable projects with 25,000 euros each to strengthen technology infrastructure, promote digital education and support communities. Korea was selected as one of the four beneficiary nations.

Ansan multicultural children care center provides a stable environment for disadvantaged and multicultural students, helping them to enter a digital life through multimedia-based computer education. Prior to the donation, 26 Performance Materials employees have been already volunteering each quarter.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)