Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter donates 2.9 tons of rice to Ulju senior welfare center

Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter donated 2.9 tons of white rice — 143 bags of 20 kilograms each, valued at 10 million won (about $6,550) — to the Ulju Southern Senior Welfare Center, the company announced Friday.

The company said it chose white rice as the donation item because the number of elderly people living alone in the area has been steadily rising, making it a practical choice for preventing meal skipping and supporting healthy eating among vulnerable seniors.

For this donation, the Onsan Smelter purchased the rice directly from farms in Ulju-gun through the Onsan Agricultural Cooperative before delivering it to the center. The company said the initiative was designed to realize multiple social values at once — supporting vulnerable groups, fostering mutual growth with local farms, and stimulating the local economy.

The donated rice will be used for the free meal program run by the welfare center's senior dining facility.

Park Seong-ung, head of the management support division at Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter, said the company has grown alongside the local community and hoped the donation would contribute, even in a small way, to the health and daily lives of elderly residents in the area. "We will continue to actively carry out a wide range of social contribution activities that the community needs, fulfill our corporate social responsibility, and strive to be a company that sustains mutual growth with the region," he said.

Meanwhile, Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter runs a variety of social contribution projects, including support for vulnerable groups, donations to social welfare facilities, and environmental protection activities.

Most recently, the smelter ran a blood donation campaign together with affiliates and partner companies, providing local gift certificates to participants. The company has maintained the top rating for three consecutive years under the Community Contribution Recognition Program, administered by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Council of Social Welfare.