Hana Financial : New Chairman, Ham Young-joo, Visits Scene of Eastern Coast Wildfires Upon Appointment

- Inaugural ceremony skipped in favor of presence and communication in the field

- Chairman Ham firm that "the answers are in the field and must be heard"

- Chairman Ham personally visited firefighters to pay his respects, with Hana Financial Group donating KRW 300 million in goods to firefighters and pledging to provide firefighters with exclusive financial products and services

- Chairman Ham visited Hana Financial Group operations in the region, talked with staff and customers

Hana Financial Group announced that its newly-appointed chairman, Ham Young-joo, had visited the scene of the wildfires on Korea's eastern coast.

After Chairman Ham took office following Hana Financial Group's March 25 general meeting of shareholders and a meeting of its board of directors, he denied himself the traditional inaugural ceremony and chose to work in "the field" rather than in his new office on his first day on the job.

On why he chose to make the visit, Chairman Ham said, "With long-term market volatility expected due to the spread of Omicron, news of the wildfires in the eastern coastal region had me wondering how I could be of service to the communities there."

Echoing the essence of the proclamation he had made at his appointment, Chairman Ham opined that "the answers are in the field" and elaborated that he would "keep an ear to the ground in the field and manage Hana Financial Group accordingly to provide field-centric financial services full of substance, not formalities."

On the day of his visit, Chairman Ham inspected parts of the eastern coast that were hit particularly hard by the wildfires, including Gangneung and Uljin, and met with members of the fire brigades who were fighting the flames.

Hana Financial Group had organized snack trucks for the firefighters in the area, and Chairman Ham himself got on one of them to serve coffee and treats to the firefighters as a gesture of respect and gratitude.

Honoring his pledged commitment to ESG, Chairman Ham has promised financial support designed specifically for firefighters. Firefighters nationwide will enjoy lower interest rates on their first loans from Hana Bank, which will also provide firefighters with an exclusive firefighters' insurance product for which premiums will be waived for the first year.

The National Fire Agency has released figures that indicate that 10,130 firefighters and 3,450 fire trucks from all over Korea were involved in suppressing the wildfires that ravaged the eastern coastal region (Gyeongsangbuk-do & Gangwon-do) from March 4 to 13.

Hana Financial Group has already donated KRW 1 billion and relief supplies, divided into 1,500 "Boxes of Happiness," to victims of the wildfires and made up to KRW 200 billion in financial products and services available for affected individuals and SMBs.

On his visit to Uljin Fire Station, Chairman Ham delivered an additional batch of Boxes of Happiness containing items essential for the safety of firefighters, such as safety boots, valued at around KRW 300 million. The donation will be distributed among 21 fire stations and fire service academies in Gyeongsangnam-do.

The chairman also visited branches of Hana Bank, Hana Financial Investment, and Hana Insurance in Gangneung, near the disaster-stricken region. He seemed in his element in the field, listening to employees about the challenges the disaster brought and talking with customers at the branches that day.

The appointment of Chairman Ham will see Hana Financial Group further strengthen its communication with customers, employees, shareholders, and local communities. His 40 years of finance experience in the field is expected to be a catalyst for the Group's evolution into a provider of "finance for mutual growth and happiness."