KOMIPO
Korea Midland Power Corporation (KOMIPO) bases its management philosophy on human beings, and it is actively getting involved in both domestic and international social contribution activities to take one step closer in becoming a global corporation.
In 2004, KOMIPO formed a social volunteer organization especially for social contribution under the slogan “Providing Hope through Love and Laughs by Sharing.” Consisting of 11 branches and 114 teams, the volunteer network is funded by a fund-raising method called “matching grants,” in which employees’ donations from their monthly salary is “matched” by company donations. Currently, the company pays triple the total amount donated by the employees.
KOMIPO’s social volunteer organization conducted all kinds of volunteer activities in the week of March 31 as a way of commemorating its foundation. During the week, they fixed houses and cleaned streams and seashores. They even collected 19 million won (US$18,282) to give to financially underprivileged people. The department of safety quality in the main office visited islands in Chungcheongnam-do to replace old electrical systems and conduct safety checks on gas facilities. They have been doing this annually since 2011. About 70 volunteers have been put into action in areas near KOMIPO power plants to do volunteer work.
Last year, KOMIPO provided housing for financially underprivileged people, ran energy-saving campaigns in regions near power plants, and supported multicultural families under its special program called “Light of Hope, Ocean of Life.”
A house building project called “The Love House” will erect its 10th building this year. Other activities include running a “One River Per Company” campaign to help conserve rivers, and conducting inspections of electricity and gas facilities in hard-to-reach regions such as islands. It is also applying its ingenious “matching grant” fund-raising method to benefit sharing programs with related small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs), to fund energy-related welfare activities.
Related to win-win programs with local SMEs, KOMIPO received a gold prize and a special prize from the Swiss government for a hybrid dust filter (Hi-filter), which KOMIPO submitted as an air-pollution prevention device at the Geneva International Invention Expo on April 4. The HI-filter is made by an SME called J-E Tech, and is a combination filter of electrostatic precipitation and filtering cloth. Only three countries are able to successfully make this technical device. It is eight times as effective in capturing fine dust as other electrostatic filters.
Its cutting-edge methods of social contribution are finally receiving recognition from the government. It received a grand prize from the “Adding Happiness: Social Contribution Award” for two consecutive years, and received the Minister’s “Happiness Sharing People Award.”
KOMIPO’s efforts to strengthen the foundation for social contribution is expanding globally as well. The state-run power company has been carrying out official development assistance (ODA) projects in Indonesia in cooperation with Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), including construction of elementary schools and compact-sized hydroelectric power plants, and distribution of booklets on Korea’s Saemaul Movement (small village and town improvement philosophy) to encourage their independent spirit.
CEO Choi Pyeong-rak said, “Collaborative work by an SME and a public enterprise has been globally recognized. Now, we are going to work hard to make Korea proud by continuing our efforts for the creative economy.”
With all these social contributions and technology development, KOMIPO is now one step forward in becoming an enterprise friendly to the public at home and abroad.