Samsung to open training center for hearing guide dogs in China

SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday it will open a facility in China next year to train hearing guide dogs as part of its socially responsible management initiative there.

Samsung, one of official sponsors for the Paralympic Games in Beijing, will spend
1.4 million yuan, or roughly US$204,000, to build the training center, which it
said in a statement is the first of such facilities in China.

"We aim to create meaningful CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs
that connect logically with our sponsorship and our business," said Park
Keun-hee, the chief executive of Samsung's Chinese subsidiary, in the statement.

"This is why we decided to expand upon the success of our hearing guide dog
initiative, which was initially launched in Korea in 1993, to China, one of our
most important markets worldwide," Park said.

When the training center officially opens in Beijing, four hearing guide dogs
will be ready to serve China's deaf and hearing impaired community, Samsung said.


Ten hearing guide dogs will be trained by the center per year, the company added.