HD Hyundai marks Veterans Month with gravesite cleanups

HD Hyundai organized gravesite cleanup services at Seoul National Cemetery and Yeongcheon National Cemetery in North Gyeongsang Province to honor the Korean Patriots and Veterans Month of June.

A total of 140 employees participated in these volunteer services on June 14 and May 24. They began by paying respects to individuals of national merit followed by weeding, planting flowers, polishing tombstones and maintaining flags. In South Korea, individuals of national merit are recognized for significant contributions or sacrifices to the country, particularly during wartime.

Since 2015, HD Hyundai has conducted annual cemetery cleanup activities, starting with their partnership with Seoul National Cemetery to honor fallen heroes and patriots. The company also promotes employee donation campaigns for individuals of national merit. Throughout June, a donation kiosk at the HD Hyundai Global Research and Development Center in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, facilitates fundraising efforts for these individuals and their descendants.

In addition to these initiatives, HD Hyundai collaborates with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Since 2021, the company has invested approximately 400 million won ($290,000) in remodeling the homes of 10 families of Korean War veterans and the bereaved families of the Cheonan sinking heroes. The Republic of Korea Ship Cheonan, a Korean navy warship, was sunk by a North Korean torpedo in March 2010, resulting in the loss of 46 sailors who are commemorated as heroes.

HD Hyundai also supports military welfare by establishing sisterhood ties with military units, donating construction equipment and vans, providing sports facilities, and offering excavator maintenance training to help veterans find employment. The "HD Hyundai 1% Nanum Foundation," funded by 1 percent of employees' salaries, has supported the Navy Scholarship Foundation since 2020 in honoring the sacrifices of naval officers and caring for their bereaved families.