Korea Expressway Corporation receives Red Cross' highest honorary award

Korea Expressway Corporation has received the highest-tier award from the Korean Red Cross in recognition of its sustained corporate social responsibility activities and charitable contributions.

The corporation announced Friday that it received the Grand Honorary Membership Merit Award at the Korean Red Cross headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The Korean Red Cross' membership merit award is presented to individuals and organizations that have contributed to humanitarian activities and charitable giving, with recipients recognized across six tiers based on cumulative donation amounts. The Grand Honorary Membership Merit Award — the highest tier — goes to those whose cumulative donations reach 500 million won ($377,000) or more.

The ceremony was attended by Ko Geon-ung, head of public relations at Korea Expressway Corporation, and Park Jong-sul, secretary general of the Korean Red Cross, along with other officials from both organizations.

Korea Expressway Corporation has worked with the Korean Red Cross on a range of community initiatives, including support for children at risk of food insecurity, assistance for small business owners, and backing for medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The corporation has also been active in disaster relief at home and abroad — most notably donating 150 million won to aid victims of the 2023 earthquake in Turkey.

Since 2008, the corporation has run regular blood donation drives for its employees and a blood donation certificate campaign targeting highway rest stop visitors, delivering a cumulative total of about 90,000 blood donation certificates to children with rare and incurable diseases.

"Sharing is the force that warms our society," Ko said. "We will continue to fulfill our responsibilities as a public enterprise and work to ensure that the spirit of giving reaches those who need it most."

Meanwhile, Korea Expressway Corporation signed MOUs with six private companies Thursday at the Gangneung Convention Center to establish a public-private traffic safety data-sharing consultative body known as K-DFRS.