Booyoung Group founder and Chairman Lee Joong-keun (right) and Phnom Penh Municipal Gov. Khuong Sreng (center) pose for a photo after 200 buses were delivered to the Cambodian capital on Tuesday. (Booyoung Group)
South Korean construction giant Booyoung Group said Wednesday it has donated a total of 200 buses to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh as part of its ongoing social contribution activities in the Southeast Asian country.
Booyoung Group founder and Chairman Lee Joong-keun and Phnom Penh Municipal Gov. Khuong Sreng attended the delivery ceremony held Tuesday (local time), with dozens of city and company officials and Korean residents there present.
The latest donation, worth $8.83 million, aims to help improve Phnom Penh’s public transportation infrastructure, which Booyoung hopes will become a fresh opportunity to bolster ties between Korea and Cambodia.
“As I watched Cambodian mothers and their children riding a motorbike during rains or heat waves, I thought about offering them buses for better safety,” the Booyoung founder said during the event.
“It would be great if Phnom Penh citizens, especially young students, commute more comfortably in an air-conditioned bus and use the commuting time more effectively.”
He added that the buses could help innovate the city’s public transportation which has thus far been focused on motorbikes and tuk tuk taxis.
In response, the city mayor expressed gratitude for the donation, stressing Booyoung has made great contribution to the bilateral ties between the two governments.
The newly donated buses are also expected to run on routes connecting Booyoung's planned residential complex, called "Booyoung Town,” with the city center. The mega housing project is planned for 15,000 households.
The group has also started the construction of Woojeong Cambodia School within the complex. The school, located on a site of 15,475 square meters, consists of three five-story buildings and 71 classrooms for some 1,800 students from kindergarten to high school. “Woojeong” means “friendship” in Korean.
The school also includes a nursing school and facilities for elderly people to offer more comprehensive welfare services for diverse demographic groups.
Booyoung has carried out extensive social contribution activities in Cambodia. It has thus far built a total of 300 elementary schools, worth about $8.9 million, as well as donated some 3,000 digital pianos and 40,000 electronic whiteboards. An additional $550,000 has been donated mostly to help improve the educational environment for young students.
Long Dimanche, a former Cambodian Ambassador to Korea, picked Booyoung as the most beloved Korean company in Southeast Asia in a media interview last year.
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