November 26, 2024

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Han Sung Motor's after-sales service department employees pose for a photo after the Mercedes-Benz Greenplus plogging event held at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul on Nov. 7. (Han Sung Motor)

Han Sung Motor, the largest Mercedes-Benz car dealer in Korea, is ramping up efforts to carry out diverse corporate social responsibility activities, buoyed by the voluntary participation of employees.

As ESG efforts continue to emerge as key corporate principles, Han Sung Motor is giving back to society via eco-friendly volunteering as well as activities for underprivileged people, the company said.

On Nov. 7, 53 employees of Han Sung Motor's after-sales service department gathered at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, with trash grabbers and bin bags in their hands. Joining the Mercedes-Benz Greenplus plogging event, the company aimed to incorporate eco-friendly habits into the daily lives of employees and help clean up local parks at the same time. Plogging refers to a combination of jogging and picking up trash.

First promoted by the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Social Responsibility Committee in 2021, the Greenplus plogging event is a part of the company’s efforts to practice net zero emissions and sustainability together with employees all over the nation.

“Besides the plogging event, we will continue to contribute to the neighborhood with eco-friendly practices,” said a Han Sung Motor official who joined the event.

For the past ten years, Han Sung Motor has planned diverse projects to revitalize local neighborhoods. Under a partnership with the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, it recreated a shelter for the Seoul Central Market and Guro Station on Subway Line No. 1 in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

In 2020, the company also repainted an alley in Taepyeong-dong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in collaboration with graffiti artist Artime Joe.

The launching ceremony for the Han Sung Motor-backed 2023 "New Dream Gream" project in February (Han Sung Motor)

In addition to such volunteering activities, Han Sung Motor has continued its "Dream Gream" project, which aims to sponsor the activities of young students talented in the arts. "Gream" comes from the Korean word "geurim," which means "painting" in Korean.

Launched in 2012 together with the Korea Mecenat Association, the "Dream Gream" project provides young students with not only scholarships but also opportunities to meet professional artists and exhibit their own art at art fairs.

At the 2022 Kiaf Plus, an exhibition which presented young and emerging artists, the "Dream Gream" students collaborated with digital artist Oh Ye-seul, creating NFT art pieces that could also be enjoyed via augmented reality. Forty students were also able to display their art at Plastic Art Seoul 2023, opened in May, with Han Sung Motor as the official sponsor.

Earlier this year, Han Sung Motor announced the renewed 2023 "New Dream Gream," commemorating the 12th anniversary of the project. Under the new slogan “Arts and Artists with New Dream Gream,” the project now also aims to support the program's mentors to gain a foothold in the art world.

This summer, the company hosted a lecture by Yoon Hyang-ro to share her own story as a young artist. In August, it also held an incubating exhibition named “Onboarding” at Sungkok Museum in Seoul, for the "Dream Gream" mentors to receive feedback from professional artists.

Han Sung Motor’s utmost goal is to keep inviting young students and mentors to such innovative programs and experiences as a part of its social contribution efforts, the company added.

By Mun So-jeong  (munsojeong@heraldcorp.com)