SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free has extended its disability hiring model beyond office roles into sports, recruiting five athletes with disabilities as part of a broader push to strengthen its social contribution efforts.
On 4 May the travel retailer signed employment contracts with the athletes at a ceremony in Seoul, two in table tennis, two in swimming and one in badminton, marking its first move to extend the hiring model into sports.
The para athletes will be supported through a partnership with Korean sports marketing and management agency Galaxia SM.
The collaboration will see Lotte Duty Free providing financial and training support, while Galaxia SM will oversee professional coaching and training, allowing athletes to dedicate themselves fully to competition preparation and performance.
Athletes will also benefit from a performance-based incentive scheme, with rewards based on results at major domestic and international events such as the Paralympics, Asian Games and National Sports Festival for the Disabled.
Paralympic medalists will also receive special bonuses of up to KRW5 million (US$3,430), with the Games regarded as the most prestigious event.
This initiative reinforces Lotte Group’s broader commitment to supporting sports. It adds to the company’s long-standing contributions to sports development in South Korea, such as operating the Lotte Giants professional baseball team and leading the Korea Ski & Snowboard Association since 2014.
The group has also managed a team of athletes with disabilities across multiple disciplines since 2022, including wheelchair fencing, table tennis and swimming.
Lotte Duty Free said this latest initiative supports the company’s wider ESG goals.
Lotte Duty Free Head of Management Support Lim Seok-won said: “The goal of this recruitment is to provide job stability so that athletes can fully dedicate themselves to training. Lotte Duty Free will continue to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and strive to fulfill its corporate social responsibility.” ✈
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