On the 10th, Lotte Department Store announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seoul City at the Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu to support 'family caregiver youth.' Family caregiver youth refers to young people who face difficulties in their studies or career while supporting a family member with an illness or disability.
According to the agreement, Lotte Department Store will actively identify family caregiver youth applicants and comprehensively support their expenses related to living, medical care, learning, and housing. The company promised a total sponsorship of 400 million won.
Additionally, psychological counseling services called "RE:JOICE" will be provided to family caregiver youth and their dependents. "RE:JOICE" is Lotte Department Store's main social contribution campaign that supports the independence and growth of various social classes, focusing on mental health.
Lotte Department Store is operating a "RE:JOICE Psychological Counseling Center" where professional psychological counseling can be received, and the counseling expenses have been set at about half the rate compared to regular counseling centers for public accessibility. The cumulative number of counseling sessions until last year reached 10,000.
Attendees at the signing ceremony included Lotte Department Store CEO Jung Joon-ho, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Seoul Welfare Foundation CEO Jin Soo-hee, Kia Chairman Choi Chang-nam, and Beautiful Foundation Chairperson Han Chan-hee.
CEO Jung said, "As the first large corporation to support family caregiver youth, we aim to spread social awareness through this cooperation with Seoul City and become a pillar that provides concrete support to young people." He added, "We will strengthen our role as a leading corporation fulfilling social responsibility through ESG management in the future."