Kyobo Life delivers W168m to 2,342 underprivileged children in first half

Kyobo Life said Friday it had delivered 168 million won ($113,000) raised through its "Sarangeui Ttaeitgi" employee giving campaign to ChildFund Korea, supporting underprivileged children in the first half of the year.

Sarangeui Ttaeitgi, or "charitable giving chain," is Kyobo Life's flagship corporate social responsibility initiative. It operates on a matching-grant basis: employees voluntarily contribute a set amount from their monthly salary, and the company adds an equal sum.

The funds go to children in difficult circumstances — including those from low-income families and child-headed households — and are used to cover living expenses, education costs, housing and child-rearing costs.

In the first half of this year, an average of about 1,050 employees per month joined the campaign alongside the company, together raising 168 million won for 2,342 children. Of that total, 108 million won went toward living and educational expenses for 724 children in Korea, while 51 million won was distributed to 1,562 children as sponsorship and childcare support, and 8.5 million won covered housing assistance.

Kyobo Life employees launched the campaign voluntarily in 2003. Cumulative donations have reached approximately 8.4 billion won, benefiting around 100,000 children in total.

Operating under the corporate social responsibility vision of "a healthy society, a world we share," Kyobo Life runs a range of community programs — among them children's health initiatives including Sarangeui Ttaeitgi, the Kyobo Life Cup youth sports competition, a one-company-one-school financial literacy program, future-generation development projects, and environmental education campaigns. The company also continues disaster relief and recovery efforts and local volunteering alongside its employees.

Kyobo Life has recently expanded its social contribution work into digital and AI literacy, launching a youth AI ethics education program called Bareun AI Yulli Tamheomtae, which teaches ethical AI use to young people.

"We will continue to fulfill our responsibilities as neighbors who share this society," a Kyobo Life official said, "and lead the way in warm-hearted giving and sustainable social contribution."