BNK Financial employees head to Geoje to help flood recovery efforts

BNK Financial Group dispatched staff to flood-hit Geoje in South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday to help residents rebuild their daily lives following heavy rainfall.

About 100 BNK employees fanned out across storm-damaged stores and homes in the Jangpyeong-dong and Gohyeon-dong areas of Geoje, clearing mud and debris and tidying up the surrounding area to help displaced residents recover.

BNK is also running a mobile kitchen to feed soldiers, Korea Forest Service personnel and displaced residents at the recovery sites. The vehicle will continue providing meals to workers and affected residents until cleanup operations are complete.

Earlier, on Tuesday, BNK Financial Group delivered emergency relief supplies to evacuation facilities including Okpo Elementary School and Okpo General Social Welfare Center — 200 disaster-relief kits and 100 sets of daily necessities such as shampoo and conditioner. The group also sent 700 bottles of drinking water to apartment buildings that had lost power and water.

"We will keep a close eye on conditions at the scene and continue providing whatever support is needed until recovery is complete, so that our help reaches not only those who were affected but everyone working hard on the ground," a BNK Financial Group official said.

Meanwhile, BNK Busan Bank and BNK Kyongnam Bank are each providing 100 billion won ($70.9 million) in emergency financial assistance — 200 billion won in total — to help small and medium-sized enterprises and individual customers affected by the heavy rains ease their financial burden.

Affected businesses can receive up to 500 million won in emergency operating funds per company, while individual customers are eligible for up to 20 million won in emergency living-stabilization funds to help them get back on their feet.