YEOSU — GS Caltex, which has built a track record of growing alongside the local community in Yeosu, has thrown its weight behind spreading the message of the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo across the region.
The company said on the 21st that it carried out a joint public-private-industry volunteer program the previous day on Wolhodo Island in Hwajeong-myeon, Yeosu, together with the Yeosu Coast Guard, the Yeosu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Yeosu Beauty Volunteer Association. The program was timed to coincide with the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo to highlight the value of islands and build wider support for island conservation.
The effort delivered practical help to residents of the outlying island, reinforcing the expo's themes of a sustainable future for islands and shared growth with local communities.
The activity was pursued as a hands-on project of the Yeosu chapter of the Entrepreneurship Round Table (ERT), a corporate council for a new entrepreneurial spirit launched in December 2024. Organizers said its significance lies in bringing together public agencies, companies and the local community to tackle regional problems.
About 40 volunteers, including Yeosu Coast Guard Chief Myung Sung-min, Yeosu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Han Mun-sun and GS Caltex External Affairs Executive Director Kim Jong-eun, traveled to Wolhodo aboard a coast guard vessel. Participants collected trash along the shoreline, cleaned up the village and planted flower beds to help preserve the island's environment.
A mobile civil service desk also handed out first-aid kits stocked with emergency medicine. Volunteers provided haircuts and beauty services for elderly residents and replaced light fixtures in homes, offering help tailored to daily life.
"It is meaningful to be able to reflect on the value of islands during the expo and to deliver help to residents alongside various agencies and organizations," a GS Caltex official said. "We will continue to work with the local community to practice sharing and shared growth."
GS Caltex has run a range of social contribution programs, including "1,000-Won Happiness," the "Sharing Warmth at Chuseok" campaign and "Saerom Classroom," a youth development program.