Participants' runs translate into real tree donations and plantings

Campaign launched in 2016 with more than 260,000 cumulative participants

Total of 133,850 trees donated and planted to date

Broadcaster Lee Su-ji (from left), actor Moon So-ri, a WFP Goodwill Ambassador, Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President and Domestic Business Division Head Yun Hyo-jun, and WFP Government Donor Relations Director Laura Turner pose for a photo. [Hyundai Motor]
Broadcaster Lee Su-ji (from left), actor Moon So-ri, a WFP Goodwill Ambassador, Hyundai Motor Executive Vice President and Domestic Business Division Head Yun Hyo-jun, and WFP Government Donor Relations Director Laura Turner pose for a photo. [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor announced Sunday that its eco-friendly social contribution campaign, Forest Run 2026, has concluded successfully.

Forest Run launched in 2016 to raise awareness about fine dust pollution and promote cleaner skies. The campaign turns participants' running activity into actual tree donations and plantings.

This year, Hyundai Motor selected the UN World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian aid organization, as the official donation recipient. Funds raised through participants' entry fee purchases will go toward donating 100,000 trees.

The donated trees will be planted in Niger, Africa — a region facing desertification driven by climate change and land degradation — through the WFP's Half Moon Project. The effort is expected to help slow desertification and restore soil and vegetation.

The Forest Run 2026 Final Run, held Saturday, drew 6,500 participants who completed a 10-kilometer course between Yeouido Park and Seogang Bridge in Seoul. A certificate marking the donation of 100,000 trees was presented at the event.

At the venue, Hyundai Motor set up a record wall where participants could log their finishing times, along with partner company experience booths. The automaker also ran customer participation programs and an electric vehicle exhibition.

In addition, participants received a commemorative gift set that included a T-shirt made from eco-friendly materials and a bag crafted from recycled automotive airbags, reinforcing the campaign's message of resource circulation.

Including this year, Forest Run has drawn more than 260,000 cumulative participants over 11 years, with a total of 133,850 trees donated and planted.

"Forest Run has grown beyond a simple running event to become a leading eco-friendly social contribution campaign in Korea," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We will continue to develop it into a campaign that more customers and partners can relate to and take part in."

As part of its sustainability efforts, Hyundai Motor carries out a range of domestic and international initiatives under its global shared-value creation initiative "Hyundai Continew," which spans the areas of environment, mobility and future generations. These include Ioniq Forest, a reforestation project aimed at addressing the climate crisis and restoring ecosystems.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor recently donated 10 industrial wearable robots — the XBL Shoulder model — to the Cultural Heritage Administration to support its cultural heritage care project, continuing its social contribution activities across a range of fields.


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