Following is the sixth in a series of articles about companies’ social contribution activities at home and abroad. ― Ed.


With its expertise in telecommunications, KT is moving to minimize the digital divide within the country, going forward with several social contribution projects.

The nation’s top fixed-line service provider’s projects include its organization called IT Supporters, Olleh Smart Academy, and giving out smart devices serviced by the firm to underprivileged families.

The company also takes part in joint programs with other corporations such as the “Dream Together” project that supports low-income families as well as volunteering and scholarship programs.

“It is our goal involving social contribution to distribute what KT can do well and is performing well to make a better society,” said KT chairman Lee Suk-chae. “The social contribution activities on a corporate level must help solve the social problem and this would lead to national development as a result.”

KT’s IT Supporters project, which launched in 2007, picks 200 KT employees to focus only on giving out the IT knowledge, according to its officials.

Having 23 different teams of IT Supporters nationwide, the group concentrates on offering IT support ― such as teaching how to use the Internet and computer along with information on how to take advantage of IT in daily life ― to the underprivileged such as the disabled, seniors and low-income families, its officials said.

They also give IT support to those from multicultural families and individual proprietors.

“So far, KT has held about 250,000 IT support sessions for individuals and various groups and those who benefited from the activities number about 1.87 million,” said a KT official.

As a result, those from multicultural families that took the IT education classes are moving on to acquire licenses that assist them in adapting to their Korean lives, the company official said.

The Olleh Smart Academy is another project ambitiously put forward by KT, providing classes on the main functions and how to use smart gadgets along with the use of mobile applications.

The classes took place at educational centers in 12 different regions such as Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan and Gwangju once or twice a week, totaling up to about 11,000 classes and 173,000 attendees.

KT took part in a different kind of IT support project last year, distributing IT devices like Internet Protocol televisions, smart home pads and the firm’s robot friend for kids called Kibot.

Thinking that the items could assist in education for children at community child centers, it gave out Olleh IPTVs, 366 smart pads and 600 Kibots across the nation, KT officials said.

The “Dream Together” program was jointly launched earlier in May this year with 18 other businesses and organizations like Korea University, Daemyung Group and the Severance Hospital.

The group established a camp which creates a new playground that gives hands-on experience in different fields of education to children from low-income families.

On top of such projects, 700 different volunteer teams at KT are planning to assist 30,000 children located at 1,000 regional community child centers this year.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)