[KH Explains] Behind Hana Financial’s birth rate boosting mission

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo has made it his mission this year to position the financial group as a leader in addressing the issue of a declining birth rate in the country.

"The declining birth rate is a social issue that finance firms should be paying attention to. It is one of the primary areas where financial firms should be taking a leading role," Ham said in a statement.

This move came after Korea's fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, fell to an all-time low of 0.78 last year, according to Statistics Korea’s data.

In March, President Yoon Suk Yeol also called for bold measures to address the country's record-low birth rate while attending a briefing on the operation plans of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy.

According to company officials, Ham believes that diverse social issues from the nation’s rapidly growing aging population to life-work balance are directly linked to the nation’s notoriously low birth rate.

“Starting with efforts to tackle a low birth rate, we plan to extend our activities in phases to wedding halls to day care centers for children,” a Hana official said.

Under the "2023 Hana Lifecycle Support” scheme, the group recently introduced three projects in April which offer diverse supports that may contribute to an increase in the birth rate.

As one of the top financial companies, Hana Financial Group's first project of the year was centered on providing financial support through its affiliates.

Hana Bank in April launched a new financial product with an annual interest rate of up to 8 percent for parents raising two or more children.

The lender also plans to reduce loan interest rates for households with multiple children. Lending rates will be reduced up to 0.4 percent for those households--with two or more children--who apply for or extend their mortgage loans.

Hana Card also released a new card product to support infertility and childbirth. The new card applies a maximum of 10 percent discount on payment amounts when using it in locations like affiliated hospitals and pharmacies.

As its second project, Hana Financial Group opened its first nursing room for pregnant women and new moms last month at a Hana Bank branch in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

The nursing room is designed with various facilities such as stroller storage, a rest area for pregnant women, a breastfeeding space and tables for diaper changing.

It also features a small kitchen equipped with a baby bottle sterilizer, a microwave, a water purifier and other essential items for feeding babies.

The financial group’s third project is to provide wedding venues.

As part of this plan, six buildings owned by affiliates of Hana Financial Group are being renovated to serve as wedding venues. The first of these venues, Hana Grand Hall Myeongdong, located on the fourth floor of the group's building in downtown Seoul, will be offered free of charge from this month.

Starting from Monday, eligible applicants can apply through Hana Financial Group's mobile app to use the hall.

Besides the three projects, there is also the “100 Childcare Centers Construction Project” that the financial group has been operating since 2018, as part of its effort to help raise the birth rate.

The project aims to establish 100 day care centers nationwide to provide quality nurturing environments in local communities. To achieve this goal, the group has allocated 150 billion won ($111 million) for the project.

Hana Financial Group has opened a total of 73 day care centers so far and plans to build an additional 27 day care centers by the first half of next year.