The country’s largest private rental housing corporation, Booyoung Group, is taking the lead in solving the challenges of low birth rates and aging that Korean society is facing. It is actively addressing social challenges, such as proposing to raise the age of seniors to 75 and providing 100 million won in birth incentives.
Last year, Booyoung Group's groundbreaking “100 million won birth incentive” program became a significant topic of discussion across society. At that time, Chairman Lee Joong-geun noted, “If the low birth rate problem continues in South Korea, we could face a crisis of national survival in 20 years due to a lack of defense personnel needed for national security and order maintenance,” explaining the rationale behind the birth support program. Since the implementation of Booyoung Group's birth incentive program, a positive cycle has emerged with other corporations announcing their own birth support programs.
In addition to addressing low birth rates, the chairman is also taking the lead in solving another major issue in society, which is aging. He was elected as the 19th president of the Korean Senior Citizens Association last year and is working to resolve the aging problem as South Korea enters a super-aged society.
During the inauguration ceremony of the president of the Korean Senior Citizens Association last October, he presented proposals including ▲raising the senior age ▲promoting home hospice systems ▲establishing a demographic department. The chairman particularly likened the senior issue to a “snowball on the distant mountain,” suggesting that the senior age be gradually raised by one year each year to address senior issues promptly. Following the chairman's proposal, discussions about raising the senior age have been actively taking place in the political arena.
Recently, the chairman proposed the designation of ‘United Nations Day’ as a public holiday, emphasizing gratitude towards the UN troops who participated in the Korean War and the spirit of the times that will carry into future generations. He emphasized the necessity of United Nations Day by saying, “The UN troops fought valiantly to protect freedom and peace on foreign soil, and it is on their sacrifices that South Korea exists as the world's 10th largest economy.” He added, “Commemorating United Nations Day could serve as an opportunity to improve diplomatic relations with the 60 countries that participated in the war (16 countries provided combat support, 6 countries provided medical support, and 38 countries provided supplies).
United Nations Day is an observance established to commemorate the founding of the United Nations (UN) on Oct. 24, 1945, with the aim of international peace and security, and is also referred to as 'UN Day.' In South Korea, United Nations Day was designated as a public holiday from 1950 to 1975. However, after North Korea officially joined various UN agencies by 1975, it was excluded from public holidays in 1976 in protest.
The chairman has authored five historical texts, including '1129 Days of the Korean War.' In particular, '1129 Days of the Korean War' was written using the “Ujeongche method,” which excludes subjective interpretation and records the facts on a daily basis, donating over 10 million copies free of charge to domestic and foreign organizations and overseas participating countries.
Booyoung Group is actively engaged in social contribution activities across various fields, including addressing low birth rates and aging issues. To date, it has donated over 1.2 trillion won, practicing exemplary environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management. The chairman has personally donated 266 billion won to society as well.