Korean Air is inviting employees and families of Asiana Airlines to its annual event, focusing on fostering a chemical bond. With the launch of the integrated airline set for 2027, Cho Won-tae, chairman of Hanjin Group, is making efforts to create connections between employees of the two airlines and strengthen their closeness.
On the 16th, according to the aviation industry, Korean Air decided to invite the children of Asiana Airlines employees to its Family Day event, scheduled to be held from May 2 to May 6. Every year, during the week of Children's Day, Korean Air installs temporary play equipment at its headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and invites employees' children to the event. This event is said to be quite popular among employees with children.
In February, Cho Won-tae also cared for the children of Asiana Airlines employees. He sent congratulatory gifts such as school supplies to the children of 315 Asiana Airlines employees who are about to enter elementary school. Cho wrote a congratulatory card saying, "I am the uncle Cho Won-tae who will work with your mom and dad."
Prior to this, Cho noted, "I am both the chairman of Korean Air and the chairman of Asiana Airlines. Every employee of both companies is equally a valuable family member."
Korean Air plans to transform into integrated Korean Air after having Asiana Airlines as a subsidiary until the end of 2026. Currently, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are known to hold regular meetings among overlapping departments.
Volunteer activities and cultural events are also being conducted together. In May, Hanjin Group is expected to involve Asiana Airlines employees in its Mongolian afforestation project, ongoing for over 20 years. Hanjin Group has been creating a "Korean Air Forest" in the Baganur desert area near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, planting trees each year. This forest, twice the size of Yeouido Park in Seoul, currently has over 125,300 trees.
As the merger process between the two airlines has intensified employee disputes, the intention is to promote a sense of belonging and reduce conflicts. Recently, employees from the two airlines engaged in a quarrel on the online workplace community "Blind."
Korean Air recorded a 3.5% increase in its first-quarter revenue to 3.9559 trillion won compared to the same period last year. During the same period, operating profit decreased by 19.5% to 350.9 billion won. Asiana Airlines is expected to announce its first-quarter results early next month. With Asiana Airlines incorporated as a subsidiary, Daishin Securities estimates that Korean Air's consolidated revenue for the first quarter will be 6.566 trillion won, with operating profit reaching 476.4 billion won.