Dongkuk Steel Mill Group vice chairman marks 20 years of giving with Beautiful Store

Dongkuk Steel Mill Group announced Friday that its employee donation drive, "Beautiful Day," held in partnership with social enterprise Beautiful Store, is marking its 20th edition this year. The event has been running since 2005, and Vice Chairman Jang Se-wook has attended every one, personally helping sell donated goods and contributing to a culture of giving.

Beautiful Store is a social enterprise that supports marginalized neighbors through the reuse and circulation of donated goods. At the Beautiful Day event, items contributed by employees find new owners, and the proceeds go to those in need. The 20th edition is scheduled for late November at Ferrum Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul.

According to Dongkuk Steel Mill Group, approximately 192,349 items were donated across 19 events from 2005 through last year, with an estimated value of about 400 million won ($298,000). Each year, ahead of the year-end event, employees collect donated goods at worksites across the country — including the Seoul headquarters and locations in Pohang, Incheon, Dangjin and Busan.

Jang has attended all 19 events without exception, from the inaugural edition through last year's. Each year he takes on the role of a day worker on-site, directly helping sell donated items. In 2025, Beautiful Store presented him with a certificate of appreciation and an embroidered apron in recognition of his contributions. Jang has donated 10 million won in cash every year and last year reached a cumulative total of 100 million won over 10 years.

Ahead of the 20th event, Jang said, "What matters in giving is not a one-time act but consistent, sustained attention," adding that he hopes the event will serve as an opportunity to spread a better culture of giving.

According to an internal source at Dongkuk Steel Mill Group, Jang recently instructed the relevant department to explore ways to lower the barrier to giving — including the possibility of adding QR codes to the group's external advertising materials.

Beautiful Store Chairman Park Jin-won said, "It is no easy thing for a company's top executive to come out to the field in person and volunteer alongside employees," adding, "Seeing that happen consistently, year after year, I could feel how seriously Dongkuk Steel Mill Group takes the spirit of sharing."

Meanwhile, Kim Nam-yeon, Jang's spouse, who was inaugurated Wednesday as vice chairperson of the Korean Red Cross, has also been taking part in support activities. Kim first became involved with the Red Cross in 2015 as a member of its Women's Volunteer Special Advisory Committee and has since participated in humanitarian fundraising and community assistance efforts. Last year, Kim joined the Red Cross Honors Club, a group of major individual donors, as its 325th member.

Funds raised through employee donations have been used for a range of causes — covering medical expenses for children with rare and incurable diseases, providing meal kits for children who struggle to eat during school vacations, planting forests to address the climate crisis, distributing supplies to cope with extreme heat, and delivering daily necessities to vulnerable households ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

Combined with Jang's annual cash donations and proceeds from the in-house auction DK Auction, the cumulative total stands at 211 million won. DK Auction works by auctioning off high-value personal items donated by executives through the company's internal intranet, with proceeds going to charity.

Park also highlighted the role of a public-interest reuse platform at a time when secondhand trading platforms have become part of everyday life. "Beautiful Store resells items donated by citizens and companies and returns the proceeds to society," Park said. "We need to play a role in building a culture where resource circulation and sharing connect naturally with daily life." Park added the hope that Dongkuk Steel Mill Group will continue to serve as a good example for other companies.

Dongkuk Steel Mill Group noted that because there is a gap between the estimated value of donated items and their actual sale price, it plans going forward to encourage employees to donate items more likely to sell — rather than focusing on donation volume. The aim is to reduce the disposal rate of donated goods and enhance the value of circulation.