Library aims to provide emotional support for patients, caregivers, medical staff and local residents

Lobby location makes space accessible to the wider community

Officials pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Mind Library at Seongnam Medical Center on Wednesday. Pictured from fourth from left are Joo Jun-hyung, executive director of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance's brand strategy division, and Han Ho-seong, president of Seongnam Medical Center. [Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance]
Officials pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Mind Library at Seongnam Medical Center on Wednesday. Pictured from fourth from left are Joo Jun-hyung, executive director of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance's brand strategy division, and Han Ho-seong, president of Seongnam Medical Center. [Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance]

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance opened a library-style rest space called the Mind Library at Seongnam Medical Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday, the company announced Tuesday.

The Mind Library is the insurer's flagship corporate social responsibility project. It provides patients, caregivers, medical staff and local residents with quality books and a comfortable cultural space to support their psychological and emotional well-being. Since its launch in 2015, the program has opened libraries at 34 hospitals nationwide through this year.

Hospitals are selected based on whether they serve as regional hubs and on the needs of patients — including children and teenagers — who require emotional recovery. This year, Seongnam Medical Center and Jangheung Integrative Medicine Hospital were chosen through an open application process.

For each participating hospital, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance provides 1,000 books spanning literature, humanities, general knowledge and health, along with shelving and other library furnishings. After opening, the company plans to donate an additional 200 books over two years and link the space to reading- and culture-based healing programs. The Seongnam Medical Center location is considered particularly significant because it sits in the hospital lobby, making it easily accessible to the general public.

"A public hospital should be the first place local residents can lean on," said Han Ho-seong, president of Seongnam Medical Center. "I hope the Mind Library becomes a space of comfort and recovery for patients, their families and the medical staff who care for them."

Joo Jun-hyung, executive director of Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance's brand strategy division, said the company was glad to have worked with Seongnam Medical Center to create a space where patients, families, medical staff and residents can find rest. "We will continue to actively collaborate with regional medical institutions to expand the Mind Library," Joo said.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance continues its social contribution activities focused on the mental health of children, teenagers and local communities, including the "Children's Mind Expedition" project, which aims to identify and support children with developmental disabilities or developmental delays at an early stage. The three-year, 15 billion won ($11.1 million) initiative signed agreements Nov. 3 with eight teams that advanced to the final stage, and will support clinical research involving at least 80 children per team over the following year.


won@heraldcorp.com