Chairman Kang Jeong-seok of Dong-A Socio Holdings [Provided by Dong-A Pharma].
Dong-A Socio CEO Kim Min-young (right) receives a donation from professional golfer Park Sang-hyun, a member of Dong-A Pharmaceuticals
[Courtesy of KPGA].
[BizCheck=Hye-Yeon Hong] “In other tournaments, the owner of the sponsoring company would present the award and put the sponsor's name on the tournament nameplate, but Dong-A Pharmaceutical is different.”
Lee Koo-dong-sung, a tournament official and participating professional golfers who watched the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Tour's 'The Charity Classic 2024' that concluded at Seorhaewon CC in Yangyang, Gangwon-do Province, on March 20, said they were deeply moved by Dong-A's silent 'philosophy of sharing'.
Kang Jeong-seok (60), chairman of Dong-A Socio Holdings, which sponsored the tournament, stopped by the tournament venue on the 19th, the day before the awards ceremony, to encourage the players and tournament officials one by one. He apologized for his absence, saying he had other plans on the day of the awards ceremony. People around the tournament venue said, “Chairman Kang Jeong-seok's behavior of deliberately lowering himself while Dong-A Pharmaceuticals held a professional golf tournament for charity for the first time in 50 years reminded me of the philosophy of his father, the late Chairman Kang Shin-ho.”
◇Dong-A Pharmaceutical Chairman Kang Jeong-seok's 'silent action'
Kang Jung-seok, chairman of Dong-A Socio Holdings, which sponsored the tournament, did not appear at the awards ceremony held on the last day of the tournament. He visited the venue the day before the awards ceremony. Even then, he quietly encouraged the competitors and officials, apologized for not being able to attend the awards ceremony, and left. Around the venue, it was said that he was “inheriting the humble and quiet sharing philosophy of his predecessor, the late Chairman Kang Shin-ho.” In fact, Dong-A's philosophy was further demonstrated through the competition.
At the awards ceremony on the final day of the competition, Dong-A Socio Holdings CEO Kim Min-young and Dong-A Pharmaceutical CEO Baek Sang-hwan attended on behalf of Chairman Kang to present the trophies to the winners. The ceremony was simple, but the meaning behind it was not. It was a moment when Dong-A Pharmaceutical's 'Jeong-Do Management' philosophy created deeper social value through sports and sharing.
◇Cho Woo-young's surprise victory and the hotly contested donation relay
Cho Woo-young won the tournament with a stunning performance, but it was the 'Donation Relay' that attracted attention as much as her victory. Dong-A Pharmaceuticals donated an additional amount equal to the winner's prize money of 1 billion won, and the professional players voluntarily donated 100 million won, which is 10% of the prize money. The Seorhaewon CC golf course also joined in and donated 100 million won. In addition to the voluntary donations from the galleries that visited the tournament, a total of nearly KRW 1.3 billion was raised for pediatric patients.
Dong-A Pharmaceutical also provided generous support to the athletes who participated in the competition. Not only did the company pay for all the players' accommodation and food expenses, but it also set up a barber shop in the clubhouse lounge during the tournament for their convenience. The players were overwhelmed by the attentive consideration, saying, “This is the first time I have ever seen such a tournament.”
◇Differentiated philosophy of the tournament with 'Charity'
“The Charity Classic 2024” does not feature the name of the organizer in its name. Instead, it emphasized the value of corporate social responsibility and sharing by putting the word 'charity' in front of it. This is a reflection of the 'Jeong-Do Management' philosophy that Dong-A Pharmaceutical has been practicing for many years. It is not just a golf tournament, but a new model that combines the values of social contribution and sports.
The tournament inherits the tradition of the Oransea Open, the first golf tournament sponsored by Dong-A 50 years ago. The Oransea Open Golf Championship, which began in 1976, was organized to promote the soft drink Oransea, but it was much more than that. The tournament, which made companies realize the importance of sports marketing at a time when professional golf was beginning to be popularized in earnest, was held 12 times until 1987, opening a new chapter in the history of professional golf in Korea.
◇Creating social value beyond sports
The Oransea Open was more than just a means of promoting soft drinks at the time, it was an important turning point for Dong-A Pharma to demonstrate the social values it pursued. Since then, the company has continued to organize competitions that combine sports and social values through the 'Daily Sports Pocari Open' and 'Pocariswet Open', and the spirit of these events has once again shone through at 'The Charity Classic 2024'.
“This tournament embodies the philosophy and sincerity of Chairman Kang Jeong-seok of Dong-A Pharmaceuticals to contribute to the development of the Korean Professional Golf Association (KPGA) while practicing corporate social responsibility and sharing,” said Kim Yong-woon, head of public relations at Dong-A Pharmaceuticals. True to his words, the tournament was an opportunity to further spread and deepen Dong-A's philosophy of sharing through sports.
◇The meaning of 'The Charity Classic 2024' and future expectations
More than just a golf tournament, 'The Charity Classic 2024' will go down as an innovative example of combining sports and social contribution. Through this tournament, Dong-A Pharmaceutical has demonstrated how a company can fulfill its social responsibility beyond just being a sponsor. It also proved that professional golf tournaments can create value beyond sports.
The tournament, which spreads Dong-A's philosophy of sharing and “Jeong-Do Management” through sports, is expected to mark another turning point in the history of professional golf in Korea. As a company that fulfills its social responsibilities, it is expected that Dong-A will continue to make various attempts to combine sports and public interest.
By Hye-yeon Hong hongyang0427@naver.com
Dong-A Socio CEO Kim Min-young (left) hands over the winner's prize money to winning pro Cho Woo-young [Courtesy of KPGA].
Dong-A Pharmaceuticals CEO Paik Sang-hwan (left) presents 10,000 Boxcars to the winner, Cho Woo-young (right).
Pro Yoo Song-gyu received 10,000 bottles of Baccarat for his hole-in-one on the 11th hole (par-3), the “Baccarat Hole,” in the first round. [Courtesy of KPGA]
저작권자 ⓒ 비즈체크, 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지