Grey walls at a small neighborhood in Yeongdeungpo, western Seoul, were reborn with a combination of bright colors, by a group of Korea Development Bank employees, on Oct. 22, as part of a corporate social responsibility program by the state-run bank.

The wall painting project initiated by the members of the KDB arts club, is one of the state-run financier‘s many CSR programs, aimed at spreading warmth to parts of the society through sharing.


As well as the public art project, KDB has been running a series of cultural and educational programs to support communities and families in need, it said, adding that the bank‘s role is to help make society a better place to live in.

The list of programs includes volunteer services to help the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, kimchi sharing for low-income families and donations for those suffering from financial difficulties.

KDB’s CSR programs are being conducted in two tracks led by a CSR group within the bank and KDB Nanum Foundation. Within the bank, all employees and their families participate in events like the wall painting, while the foundation focuses on supporting young students and entrepreneurs with financial programs.

“Love neighbors, education, culture and the country are the main themes of the KDB CSR programs,” a bank spokesman said.

In terms of education, every six months bank employees teach young locals how the economy works. KDB also supports field trips for elementary schools.

The bank is offering households suffering from financial difficulties the opportunity to attend cultural performances, such as opera, ballet and musicals.

The KDB Nanum Foundation, founded in 2007, has increased its spending on the CSR programs from 900 million won in its first year to 2.2 billion won as of September this year.

The foundation’s startup support fund, launched in 2007 with 100 million won, offers funds for selected entrepreneurs from low-income households in a bid to help them set up their businesses. As of this month, the fund has supported a total of 190 entrepreneurs with 4.4 billion won.

“Marking the 62nd anniversary of foundation, the KDB will continue serving the community through various programs in the fields of education and culture under the theme ‘sharing with others and warm society,’” the spokesman said.