Construction project management (PM) corporations HanmiGlobal said on the 12th that Chair Kim Jong-hoon received the Moran Medal of the Order of Civil Merit from the government at the "15th Population Day" ceremony on the 10th, recognized for contributions to overcoming low birthrates and spreading a work-life balance culture.
The Order of Civil Merit is a decoration the government awards to individuals who have made contributions to the nation and society, and the "Moran Medal" is the second-highest of the five classes. Kim was recognized for not only operating corporations' childbirth incentive programs but also presenting a model to address the population crisis and spreading it throughout society. In particular, Kim in 2022 founded the country's first private population-focused think tank, the "Korean Peninsula Future Population Institute," served as its inaugural chair, and has led private sector–centered discussions on population policy by promoting population research and policy proposals, seminars inviting renowned foreign scholars, and population forums.
HanmiGlobal operates programs that provide employees with up to 100 million won in dwellings purchase loans when they marry, as well as unlimited infertility treatment support and an infertility leave system. For childbirth, the company provides 30 additional days of special paid leave on top of the statutory maternity leave and pays a childbirth incentive. It also operates salary supplementation for the first three months of parental leave, up to two years of parental leave per child, work-from-home during child-rearing, and reduced working hours.
In remarks after receiving the award, Kim said, "We will continue to fulfill corporations' social responsibility and do everything we can to help make a country where future generations can have hope."