Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter shares samgyetang with vulnerable households in Ulju-gun

Korea Zinc's Onsan Smelter announced Wednesday that it held a samgyetang — a traditional Korean ginseng chicken soup — sharing event on Friday in partnership with the Korean Red Cross Ulsan chapter and the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Council of Ulju-gun. The drive was organized to help vulnerable residents in welfare blind spots across Ulju-gun stay healthy through the summer heat, with samgyetang and side dishes delivered to 500 households.

Since 2017, the Onsan Smelter has held the annual samgyetang sharing event to support low-income residents, elderly people living alone and others in welfare blind spots who are particularly susceptible to extreme heat. Over the past nine years, the initiative has reached a cumulative 3,400 households and has become a signature summer community welfare project in the region.

About 10 people took part in that day's event, including Onsan Smelter employees and volunteers from the Korean Red Cross Volunteer Council of Ulju-gun. Participants handled ingredient transport and preparation, cooking the samgyetang and packaging the meals. The finished samgyetang and pickled side dishes were then delivered to recipient households through the Korean Red Cross. Korea Zinc said it plans to build on the event by expanding practical support to help address welfare gaps in the community.

"We prepared this sharing event with the hope that it would be even a small comfort to our neighbors worn out by the summer heat, helping them get through the season in good health," a Korea Zinc official said. "We will continue to work as a company that grows alongside the community, striving to carry out social contribution activities that provide real, meaningful help to those in need."

Meanwhile, the Onsan Smelter has been pursuing a range of corporate social responsibility initiatives, including a recent donation of 2.9 metric tons of white rice — 143 bags of 20 kilograms each — worth 10 million won ($6,820) to the Ulju Southern Senior Welfare Center. The smelter has also contributed to spreading a culture of giving in the region, becoming the first Ulsan-based company to join the 1 billion won club of the Korean Red Cross Honors Club (RCHC), a group for major donors.