AJU Group opened the Very Good (AJU) Good Dream Site at an old home of the parents of its chairman, Moon Gyu-young, in Yongdu-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul. A card was given with a message of hope, which read, “Many experiences today become seeds for happiness.”
Very Good (AJU) Good Dream Site sits at the same location where chairman Moon’s father Tae-shik, founder of AJU Group, was born. It’s now an educational cultural center for youths in the area.
Attending the opening ceremony including a number of dignitaries such as Chairman Moon, Chief Yoo Deok-pyeul of the Dongdaemon District, Chief Kim Jeong-sok of the Seoul Dongbu Educational Assistance Office, Chairman Seo Jeong-ho of Ambassador Hotel and Chairman Lee Kang-ho of PMG, among others, totaling some 30 people.
Chairman Moon Gyu-young said his father founded AJU Group with the hope of benefiting the nation with better business prospects and to work for the growth of the group with a philosophy that the best opportunities come to those who persevere through many difficulties in life. He hoped youths coming to the center would find it to be a place that helps them grow their dreams and live healthy lifestyles.
Chairman Moon’s eldest son lived in a small house at the site measuring 49 sq. meters in size until he was 8 years old. He was among 12 family members attending a primary school located not far from home. Later, the home became a dormitory for employees of the group who came from towns outside Seoul. Founder Moon decided to donate the site to a good social cause, and AJU Group decided to build a youth educational center there and donate it to the AJU Welfare Foundation, which is a non-profit social welfare foundation.
In his congratulatory speech, district Chief Yoo quipped that he didn’t know a business firm could do such good social work. “I thought they wanted to make money all the time. Thanks to the donation made by Aju Group, the ward office now can practice well-put together welfare education,” he said.
The group spent 1 billion won building the four-story facility. It has 151 sq. meters in space. They wanted to maximize the available space for various activities including a library with the shelves for some 3,000 books.
The ground floor was made to look environmentally-friendly with a traditional roof used. An official of the Aju Welfare Foundation said the children of low-income families and those unable to get government support can come to the center and get help in their studies and set up their future courses for growth. AJU Group, an industrial conglomerate, is engaged in construction materials and construction engineering, financial services, auto, real estate and natural resources development, hotel, and information technology (IT) businesses.
Its operations include production of PHC piles, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates; construction engineering services for building railroads, bridges, tunnels, and subway systems on land and under water; auto financing, lease financing, and long-term car rentals to personal and corporate financing; investment activities arranging from venture capital to private equity fund management; and banking services in the Chungcheongbuk-do Province, Korea.
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