KT&G sends college volunteers to Indonesia to celebrate 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Indonesia

• Korean and Indonesian college students join forces to improve the educational environment of a local elementary school
• KT&G is planning to host various events this year to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and South Korea

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KT&G, a global company headquartered in South Korea, sent college student volunteers to Indonesia last month to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and South Korea.

Indonesian college students joined the Korean volunteers on July 23^rd and 25^th, making the event more meaningful as the Indonesian and Korean volunteers got to communicate and understand each other's culture during the period.

The volunteering activities were carried out at an elementary school in the Bogor Region for 10 days, and included improving the educational environment of the elementary school and organizing recreational activities for the elementary students.

The volunteers painted the exterior and interior walls of the classrooms and school facilities. They also painted murals to revitalize the school and hosted Sports Day and other recreational activities for the elementary students.

When the Indonesian college students joined the Korean volunteers on July 23^rd, the two parties worked together to improve the facilities of the elementary school building. On 25^th, Indonesian and Korean volunteers collaborated on putting together a cultural exchange event for the elementary students to enjoy.

The Korean volunteers performed choreography to K-Pop songs and Indonesian volunteers sang to K-Pop and Indonesian pop songs.

"Through the volunteering experience, I was able to meet new friends, broaden my horizons and make contributions to the local community. I'd like to thank KT&G for giving me this opportunity," said Shinta Octavia who participated in the volunteer.

KT&G has been operating a local subsidiary in Indonesia, PT KT&G Indonesia from 2011 and since then, the company has been putting its best efforts to handle various social problems the local community is facing and strengthen ties with the community.

Especially, when the COVID-19 rapidly spread in Indonesian from 2020 to 2021, the company secured COVID-19 diagnostic kits, medical oxygen generators, and KF94 facial masks to medical clinics in Indonesia. As an appreciation of PT KT&G Indonesia's efforts during the pandemic, the company received the COVID-19 handling award called 'PPKM Award 2023', signed by the Minister of Health of Indonesia, earlier this year.

KT&G is also putting its best efforts to support the future generations of Indonesia by operating a social contribution channel called 'SangSang Univ. Indonesia' Under the 'SangSang Univ.' program, KT&G has opened 'Univ Zone' at Indonesian colleges. 'Univ Zone' is a community center for college students that offers students with various cultural programs and educational classes. Until last year, around 25,000 Indonesian college students benefitted from the free classes offered at 'Univ Zone'. KT&G was also the first Korean company to establish and run Korean Language Center in Indonesia in 2014. Until now, KT&G Korean Language Center is offering Korean language classes and cultural programs to over 2,800 students. Furthermore, KT&G has been operating Vocational Training Center at UKCW University in Malang since 2021 and providing free sewing technology and computer skills training to the underprivileged and youths.

"As a Korean company operating business in Indonesia, KT&G has been working hard to build mutual growth and expand ties with Indonesia. As this year marks the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and South Korea, we plan to host many more events and programs that can help strengthen ties between the two countries," said Young-Ah Shim, the head of KT&G Social Contribution Office.