Samsung Fire's guide dog school marks 33rd anniversary

The Samsung Fire Guide Dog School celebrated its 33rd anniversary Thursday.

Samsung Fire held a ceremony at the school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, under the theme "Steps We've Taken Together, a Future We'll Continue." About 130 people attended, including visually impaired partners, puppy walkers, families who have adopted retired guide dogs, and trainers from the school.

The ceremony opened with a video tracing the history of the guide dog program, followed by the introduction of newly trained guide dogs, remarks from puppy walkers and visually impaired partners, and a pre-sale and retirement ceremony for guide dogs.

The school was founded in June 1993 under the philosophy of the late Samsung Honorary Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who believed that "a truly welfare-oriented society requires the warm hearts of its members — people who care for those with disabilities and accept them without hesitation as fellow members of society." Samsung Fire said the school is the world's first and only guide dog training institution operated by a single private company. It modeled its training methods on European and American practices and has since become a leading institution in its own right, drawing trainers from Japan and Taiwan who come to learn its techniques.

Since graduating its first guide dog, "Bada," in 1994, the school has provided a total of 320 guide dogs free of charge. Alongside training the dogs, the school offers education programs for visually impaired partners and public awareness campaigns, supporting their independent mobility and broader social participation. The school views guide dogs not merely as mobility aids but as life companions who connect visually impaired individuals with the world around them, and has built a system that takes responsibility for each dog from birth through retirement.

Thursday's ceremony included both a pre-sale ceremony for new guide dogs and a retirement ceremony. Seven guide dogs were paired with seven new visually impaired partners, while four retired dogs began new lives with home-care volunteers.

The school also presented a certificate of appreciation to trainer Lee Seong-jin, who is set to retire in October, in recognition of his long years of dedication to guide dog training.

Park Tae-jin, principal of the Samsung Fire Guide Dog School, said the school's 33-year history "is a record built from the hearts of countless people," adding that the school would "continue to fulfill its role so that visually impaired partners and guide dogs can walk together into an ever wider world."

Samsung Fire President Lee Moon-hwa said the guide dog program "is not simply a corporate social responsibility activity, but work that walks alongside the lives of visually impaired people and changes our society for the better." He said the company would "carry on, without change, the value of companionship that has been sustained through the dedication and support of trainers, volunteer families, the government, the National Assembly, and all of society."