Hanwha announced that it held the opening ceremony of 'Hope Nest 1' on Nov. 11 at the Salvation Army Seoul Shelter, located in the Seodaemun District of Seoul, which is a dedicated space for youth preparing for independence.

Jeon Chang-su, Head of Human Resources Support at Hanwha (6th from the left), Park Jun-kyung, Director of the Salvation Army Seoul Welfare Center (7th from the left), Shin Jeong-won, Head of Social Contribution Cooperation at Green Umbrella (5th from the right), and officials are celebrating the opening of Hanwha's Hope Shelter No. 1. /Courtesy of Hanwha

Key officials, including Shin Jeong-won, head of the Green Umbrella Child Fund's social contribution cooperation headquarters, Park Jun-gyeong, director of the Salvation Army Seoul Shelter, and Jeon Chang-soo, head of Hanwha's human resources support office, attended the event, along with Hanwha employee volunteers.

This opening was part of a memorandum of understanding signed in December last year between Hanwha and Green Umbrella to support youth preparing for independence. Hanwha carried out renovations to create a space within the facility to help youth preparing for independence (children whose protection ends after turning 18) successfully settle into society.

The Salvation Army Seoul Shelter is a child welfare facility housing about 60 children under protection and youth preparing for independence. Hanwha remodeled a dedicated area of 101.19㎡ (about 30 pyeong) and installed new appliances and furniture to create a pleasant and practical environment.

Youth preparing for independence will live in the space created by Hanwha and participate in life education and self-reliance experience programs to prepare for their social advancement. They can stay within the facility until the age of 24 at most through protection extension, and are expected to enhance their self-reliance capabilities based on economic and emotional support in a stable housing environment.

Jeon Chang-soo, head of Hanwha's human resources support office, said, "I hope Hope Nest, created with Hanwha, becomes a solid safety net that helps children and adolescents grow healthily," adding, "We will continue to provide ongoing support to ensure they can settle into society stably."

Shin Jeong-won, head of the Green Umbrella Child Fund's social contribution cooperation headquarters, noted, "Youth independence is an issue that goes beyond individual concerns and is a challenge that our entire society must ponder together," and expressed hope that this collaboration would serve as a meaningful example of a public-private partnership model.