From left: Kim Gun-ho, director general at the Ministry of Interior and Safety; Yeo Seung-su, secretary general of ChildFund Korea; Lee Deok-hyeon, head of Kia's sustainability management division; Choi Yu-cheol, mayor of Uiseong-gun; Kim Min-jae, vice minister of Interior and Safety; Hwang Myeong-seok, administrative vice governor of North Gyeongsang Province; Shin Jeong-won, division head at ChildFund Korea; and Byeon Tae-seop, secretary general of the Foundation for Cooperation of Large and Small-Medium Enterprises and Farm and Fishing Villages, pose for a photo. [Kia]
From left: Kim Gun-ho, director general at the Ministry of Interior and Safety; Yeo Seung-su, secretary general of ChildFund Korea; Lee Deok-hyeon, head of Kia's sustainability management division; Choi Yu-cheol, mayor of Uiseong-gun; Kim Min-jae, vice minister of Interior and Safety; Hwang Myeong-seok, administrative vice governor of North Gyeongsang Province; Shin Jeong-won, division head at ChildFund Korea; and Byeon Tae-seop, secretary general of the Foundation for Cooperation of Large and Small-Medium Enterprises and Farm and Fishing Villages, pose for a photo. [Kia]

Kia has launched a new corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at improving food access in rural and fishing communities across South Korea.

The automaker held the "Move to You" launch ceremony Thursday at the Uiseong Youth Center in Uiseong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, the company announced Saturday. Key attendees included Lee Deok-hyeon, head of Kia's sustainability management division; Kim Min-jae, vice minister of Interior and Safety; Hwang Myeong-seok, administrative vice governor of North Gyeongsang Province; and Choi Yu-cheol, mayor of Uiseong-gun.

Move to You is a social contribution program Kia designed to address food deserts — areas where residents have limited access to affordable, nutritious food — affecting elderly populations in communities at risk of demographic collapse, as people continue to migrate to the Greater Seoul area.

Kia signed a mutual cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Interior and Safety in March to address regional depopulation, and Thursday's ceremony marked the official rollout of the free food delivery service targeting those at-risk communities.

The program initially serves residents aged 65 and older in Uiseong-gun, with groceries delivered by PBV (purpose-built vehicle) to senior centers, community halls and other key local hubs, where residents can purchase items on the spot.

Kia will deploy its PV5 Cargo model — equipped with mobile refrigerators and freezers — to ensure stable delivery, and plans to source a variety of competitively priced food products through supply agreements with local grocery stores.

Alongside the food delivery service, Kia also plans to run events including health exercise sessions and education programs.

Move to You is set to expand to Sunchang-gun in North Jeolla Province in the second half of this year, with plans to continue growing the program's reach based on demand and local conditions.

Kia said it hopes Move to You will go beyond simple food support to foster greater social interaction among the elderly and help revitalize local communities.

"Through Move to You, our new social contribution initiative, we aim to fulfill our corporate social responsibility by helping address national challenges such as regional depopulation and improving living conditions for the elderly," Lee said. "We will continue to pursue sincere and meaningful social contribution activities going forward."

Meanwhile, Kia carries out a range of social contribution activities at home and abroad under its mission of "contributing to a safe, free and sustainable life for humanity."

Domestic programs include "Green Travel," which improves mobility for people with disabilities; "Harmonium," which supports multicultural youth in making a stable transition into society; "Tidal Flat Vegetation Restoration," which plants and researches salt marsh plants to protect tidal flat ecosystems; and an eco-friendly livestock waste treatment program to address odor and water quality issues caused by animal waste.

Overseas, Kia continues its "Green Light Project," aimed at reducing global socioeconomic inequality in Africa and other regions, and "Ocean Cleanup," which collects and recycles marine plastic waste.

Those efforts earned Kia a Leadership A rating — the highest available — in the water security category at the 2025 CDP Korea Awards, held in March at Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel. The company also received an excellence award in the consumer discretionary sector for the second consecutive year.

CDP is an international initiative led by global financial institutions that comprehensively evaluates major companies' capacity to respond to environmental issues each year, publishing results across eight rating tiers including Leadership A, Leadership A- and Management B.


likehyo85@heraldcorp.com