34 employees lay flowers at Seoul National Cemetery

CEO Lee Yong-bae pledges to 'devote ourselves to the safety and peace of the nation'

Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Yong-bae (center) offers incense at the Memorial Tower of Seoul National Cemetery on Wednesday in honor of patriots and war heroes. [Hyundai Rotem]
Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Yong-bae (center) offers incense at the Memorial Tower of Seoul National Cemetery on Wednesday in honor of patriots and war heroes. [Hyundai Rotem]

Hyundai Rotem said Friday it visited Seoul National Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day to pay its respects to patriots who gave their lives for the country and soldiers who died defending it.

CEO Lee Yong-bae led a group of 34 employees — including Defense Solutions Division head Cho Hyung-jun, Rail Solutions Division head Cho Il-yeon and Eco Plant Division head Kim Hee-kwon — to the cemetery on Wednesday afternoon.

The company said the visit was intended to honor the spirit of sacrifice shown by those who died for Korea and to reflect on the debt that today's freedom and peace owe to their service.

After the visit, Lee wrote in the guest book: "Built on the dedication of patriots, we will devote ourselves — with advanced technology and a firm sense of mission — to the safety and peace of the Republic of Korea."

Lee also used the occasion to call on Defense Solutions Division employees to strengthen the quality competitiveness of ground weapons. "We must contribute to national security by delivering top-quality defense products — including the K2 tank and wheeled armored vehicles — to our military," he said. "We will further enhance the technology of unmanned weapons systems and successfully carry out the Army TIGER project, a core military initiative, to help protect the precious lives of our soldiers."

A Hyundai Rotem official said the company, as a defense firm, would "remember the noble sacrifice of the war heroes who have safeguarded the peace of the Republic of Korea and fulfill our social responsibilities."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Rotem has been actively pursuing patriotic and veterans-support values through a range of corporate social responsibility initiatives.

This year, the company donated 100 million won ($65,400) each to the Hoguk Scholarship Foundation and the Wiguk Heonsin Jeonwoo Sarang Fund to support scholarships for military families and children of soldiers killed in the line of duty. In March, it also contributed to the Marine Corps Deoksan Scholarship Foundation to fund scholarships for Marine Corps service members.

In addition, Hyundai Rotem is expanding its residential environment improvement project — previously focused on frontline military areas in South Korea — to overseas recipients, starting this year with veterans from Turkey, which sent troops to fight in the Korean War.


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