Hanwha Group said Tuesday it has produced and distributed tens of thousands of 2016 braille calendars to the blind as part of its year-end social contribution efforts.

Some 50,000 braille calendars were delivered for free to the Korea Blind Union and some 300 local organizations for the blind, as well as thousands of individuals, according to Hanwha.

The conglomerate has been making braille calendars for 16 consecutive years since 2000, when Hanwha chairman Kim Seung-youn received an email from a blind citizen seeking help and ordered the production and distribution of 5,000 desk calendars for the blind.

Since then, Hanwha has created and given out some 570,000 braille calendars, which are now available in hanging and desktop types.

All the major holidays as well as the lunar calendar dates are marked in braille. At the same time, the calendars are designed for regular use as well, in line with Hanwha’s aims to create a nondiscriminatory culture.

Hanwha’s braille calendars are produced annually in partnership with local publisher Braille Publishing Co.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)