Lotte Group Continues Its Special Bond with Busan, Joins 34th Yeongdo Bridge Festival

[Financial News] Lotte Group, which took part in restoring Yeongdo Bridge, will join the 34th Yeongdo Bridge Festival, held to highlight the historical and cultural value of Yeongdo Bridge, which holds the memories, joys and sorrows of Busan residents.
According to Lotte Holdings on the 29th, the 34th Yeongdo Bridge Festival will be held over three days, from the 30th through the 1st of next month, around the Bongnae-dong waterfront pier and Amir Park. Hosted by the Yeongdo District Office, the festival is organized by the Yeongdo Cultural Center and sponsored by the Council of Heads of Maritime Cluster Institutions.
Lotte Holdings and Lotte Department Store’s Gwangbok branch will run promotional booths at the festival and present a variety of events. They will distribute a total of 30,000 items to festivalgoers, including beverages from Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., Ltd. and snacks from Lotte Wellfood Co., Ltd., and will also provide coffee coupons.
Lotte Mart, Lotte Cinema and Lotte Hi-Mart will also help promote the event by airing festival videos and posting promotional materials. Lotte Group affiliates plan to encourage more residents and tourists to attend through a range of promotional activities.
Lotte Group has a special connection with Yeongdo Bridge. The place where the bridge now stands was the departure point from which the late Shin Kyuk-ho, the group’s founder and honorary chairman, crossed the Korea Strait as a young man to pursue a new challenge.
To honor this connection and carry on the founder’s affection for Busan, Lotte Group invested 110 billion won in the restoration of Yeongdo Bridge, which had faced demolition due to its age. After its restoration, the group donated the bridge to Busan City, helping preserve the historic heritage.
Lotte Group also continues its efforts to grow alongside the Busan community. It currently operates 23 affiliates and 168 business sites in Busan and provides jobs for at least 6,000 people. Every December, it holds a kimchi-making event for underserved groups and shares kimchi made with 10,000 heads of cabbage, among other community-focused social contribution activities.
In addition, Lotte Group supports the growth of local youth-led startups in partnership with the Busan Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (BCCEI) and Lotte Ventures. It is also pursuing the Mam Pyeonhan Playground and Mam Pyeonhan Kkumdarak programs to help children in Busan grow up healthy.
The festival’s main program will begin with an opening ceremony at 6 p.m. on the 30th at the Bongnae-dong waterfront pier. The ceremony will feature performances by popular singers and a fireworks show, while a variety of activities for all ages—including theater, a food zone, busking, a flea market and a children’s festival—will also be on offer.
Kwon Jeong-geun, chair of the Busan Lotte Affiliates Council and general manager of LOTTE HOTEL BUSAN, said, “We are always striving to share more, with the mindset of a partner who stands alongside the people of Busan.” He added, “We will continue to pursue genuine social contribution activities that the people of Busan can feel more directly in their everyday lives.”

[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter