Han Sung Motor on Wednesday kicked off the fifth year of its corporate social responsibility program, the Dream Gream Project, which nurtures young artists.

“I can proudly say that we have had many meaningful changes and developments. About 30 artists we have had passed down their expertise, and have been contributing a lot to the students’ future,” said Dr. Ulf Ausprung, chief executive of Han Sung Motor, at a ceremony to mark the fifth anniversary of the program held at The K- hotel on the day.

The CEO welcomed three new students to the program and declared that the main theme of the program this year will be “Design yourself,” as requested by the students themselves.

“Design is problem solving, creativity and dream. That’s essentially what we have been doing to foster our future. We are hoping that we will see a lot of design work this year,” he said.

The Dream Gream Project launched in 2012, inspired by the CEO’s passion for the arts, has rapidly become a steady fixture in the local art scene.

Currently 40 students from underprivileged families are benefiting from the program every year and receive financial support for their monthly painting classes, on top of opportunities to participate in cultural activities on a regular basis until high school graduation.

They partner with a mentor who is a college student majoring in art. Han Sung employees, including office workers at the headquarters and sales and service people nationwide, also mentor ambassador for the kids.

Through its collaboration with the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, the Dream Gream project helped to beautify Seoul Joongang Market in 2014, and Guro Digital Station’s exterior as well as the neighborhood in the area last year.

At the Wednesday ceremony, artist Chang Jae-min and cartoonist Park Kwang-su gave a session on drawing a “caricature in 10 seconds” for icebreaking, while sand artist Lim Hyuk-phil, who also attended the inaugural ceremony five years ago, delivered a congratulatory message. A short film compiling the works of the Dream Gream students was presented under the slogan of “Everything is One,” alongside the fifth anniversary image.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)