President Lee Jae-myung publicly praised Shinhan Financial Group for deciding to support the "Just Dream" program, which provides free food, with 4.5 billion won over three years.
The presidential office said on the 4th that, after receiving a briefing on the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Just Dream program at a Cabinet meeting on the 3rd, the president said, "Shinhan Financial has agreed to provide 4.5 billion won over three years, right?" and noted it was "a welcome move."
The Just Dream program supports food and daily necessities for people in financial hardship without onerous documentation. Shinhan Financial Group signed a four-party business agreement in Nov. last year with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Community Chest of Korea, and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare, and decided to support the program with a total of 4.5 billion won over three years.
The president said, "People who are well off might say, 'If you run programs like this, you create a welfare dependency,' but those who have gone hungry know how bitter hunger is. Some people take their own lives with their families over not having enough to eat," urging an expansion of the Just Dream program. He added, "NongHyup has facilities like Hanaro Mart, so using some of them is one option," and said, "It would be good if others could offer support as well."
Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources also proposed seeking ways for other banks and large companies to join Just Dream on a voluntary basis.