Ottogi announced Wednesday that it has delivered donated food products to Korean War veterans and their bereaved families ahead of chuseok.
The company distributed four items — traditional samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), nurungji (scorched rice), Jongno-style doganitang (ox knee soup) and dongji patjuk (winter solstice red bean porridge) — to veterans, their families and regional veterans affairs offices nationwide. Since 2025, Ottogi has donated approximately 150,000 products across four rounds of distribution.
Ottogi and its affiliates have also been maintaining the grounds around burial plots at Seoul National Cemetery through a volunteer program called "Seoul Hyunchung Gardeners." The company was designated a new partner organization last April and assigned to Plot No. 7, where 863 soldiers killed or who died in the line of duty during the Korean War are interred. The program began in June 2025 and has been carried out four times through Sept. 9 this year.
"We will continue to spread a culture of respect and honor for those who have served the nation through a variety of patriotic and veterans-support activities," an Ottogi official said.
Ottogi's support for Korean War veterans traces back to the patriotic spirit of its founder, Honorary Chairman Ham Tae-ho, himself a Korean War veteran. Since 2025, the company has partnered with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans and the Community Chest of Korea to supply products to veterans and their families.
andy@heraldcorp.com
