The road of life, as drawn by Hyundai Motor
KoRoad Chungbuk Region&#39s Road Kill Prevention Wall Painting

The roads in Korea are about 110 thousand km long in total, and there are about two thousand vehicles that run on these roads every day. In fact, Korea is one of the countries with the highest traffic concentrations in the world; consequently, the rate of accidents involving wild animals is high as well. Hyundai Motor, aspiring for happy roads and a safe drive, has been interested in the problems related to road accidents.

We have been supporting the "Korea Road Kill Prevention Association", which was established in 2013 to deal with various road kill problems. The Association has been the first of its kind in Korea. Various initiatives were taken ranging from acquiring ecological paths for wild animals, road kill prevention promotions and wild life rescue activities in association with the wild animal rescue center. Hyundai Motor has, in partnership with the Association, also taken fundamental ecological protection initiatives like the acorn protection campaign. In particular, December 5 marked the kickoff of the "Road Kill Prevention Wall-painting" drive. Let&#39s take a glance at the scenes.

In front of KoRoad Chungbuk Region office, we could hear the live voices of people greeting each other; Hyundai Motor employees and the members of the Korea Road Kill Prevention Association met again on this day. They got together again on this day for the "Road Kill Prevention Wall Painting" on the walls of KoRoad Chungbuk Region office. The drawing event was attended by various people including Hyundai Motor employees and members of Korea Road Kill Prevention Association and Association of Ulsan Environment Culture and Arts. Although people came from different regions, they seemed to have got closer to each other without difficulties because they had the same hopes and aspirations.

The wall painting activity gets started with dressing up in appropriate costumes. The participants were busy preparing their costumes, hats and gloves to prevent the paint splashing on their clothes. Some people even checked on other people to see if they wore costumes properly. Before they got down with the painting, they learned about the wall painting method ？ everything from the basic sketch to the painting process- from a specialist. They learnt that wall painting entails quite a complex process from the start to the last stage of coating. The participants all carefully listened to the specialist to complete a perfect wall painting.

Before they started with the wall painting, they cleaned up the wall. Traces of the previous painting were faintly visible on the office wall, and this had to be erased by scraping it off. Operation Committee Member Lee Jong-sul (Hyundai Motor&#39s Press Metal Technology Division 1) gave a big smile and said, "I think I can draw an awesome wall-painting if I apply my skills enough."

The sketch was drawn finally, and the paint combination and background coloring got started. The theme for the wall painting was various wildlife animals living in forests, ecological paths and vehicles. The objective was to improve the regional environment, while raising awareness on the problems related to road kills. The participants found the right colors with the help of the specialist. Then, they started to fill the walls with colors. "The surrounding looks bright already even though we have only finished the sketch part," said Chief Oh Kang-taek of KoRoad Chungbuk Region Office&#39s Administration Department. He seemed very happy seeing the dramatic change to the walls that used to be plain.

As the old painting got new colors, the street looked different. The participants all worked together in drawing the big wall painting and it seemed like they went back to their childhood. "I once got the third prize in the drawing competition back in elementary school", said Senior Manager Han Hyung-man of Hyundai Motor Safety Environment Center, showing his pride. Then, his colleagues said, "Let&#39s see who draws the best," and the event spot soon got filled with laughter.

When the background of the wall painting got finished, the participants went for lunch. They discussed how they got to be aware of the road kill problems, and encouraged each other. After a warm up session, they resumed the painting. By the morning, the background was fully done since everyone put in great efforts without taking rest. The once empty wall was now filled up with sky, mountains and clouds, and people that passed by the street had their eyes on the wall.

"The rabbit looks so cute! How cool!" When the forest was completed, rabbits, squirrels and other wild animals came to life in the wall painting. In addition, the wall painting had the road and vehicles. When the coloring on the rabbits was done, a child who was watching the wall painting exclaimed in a cute voice, making every participant happy. The seniors passing by the street lauded the effort saying, "even the street looks brighter." The participants were encouraged by the compliments and they put more efforts into the painting.

When everyone shared their efforts together, the wall painting started to get finished at a rapid pace. As was intended by the original sketch, the wall painting under the theme "road kill" appeared. The drawing came into life with even more special meaning for the participants because they put much effort into it. "I hope that the road kill prevention wall painting initiative with Hyundai Motor continues so that more people will get to think about road kills", said Lee Seul-la, a member of the Korea Road Kill Prevention Association, who had been giving sophisticated brushing touches. She said she was interested in wild animals and road kills, but it was her first time participation in voluntary service. She looked forward to the road kill prevention wall painting project held jointly by Hyundai Motor and the Association.

The Road Kill Prevention Wall Painting project was wrapped up successfully as everyone cheered and encouraged each other. The passengers that walk by this street will come across various wild animals in the forest through the wall painting. People that see this "Road Kill Prevention Wall Painting" will have a chance to think about the life of wild animals and safety. Hyundai Motor will drive along the way until everyone and every animal drives and runs safely.

 

Q) I know that the association has held a series of meaningful activities in hands with Hyundai Motor. What is the most memorable project?
A) Kang Chang-hee Senior Manager : Korean Association of Road Kill Prevention was registered as a regular private environment organization in July 2013. Apart from wild animal rescue activities, we have engaged in a lot of activities like bird nest installation, feeding, as well as ecological investigation. Among these initiatives, I think the "acorn saving" activity was the most memorable. It was a wildlife protection initiative where we installed acorn savings and put in the acorns to feed the squirrels during the winter. This is most memorable for me because this initiative got well-known and was loved by many.

Q) What are some moments when you felt the happiest during the road kill prevention related activities?
A) Kang Chang-hee Senior Manager : I feel the happiest when people who were not interested in road kill problems get to know about this issue and realize that prevention measures are necessary. I felt happy when I came up with the idea on acorn saving and had the idea in execution. Acorn saving is a civilian-participated event. Even if we spend our time installing the acorn savings, the initiative would not be completed if no one collects acorns. When I revisited the spots, people - seniors, young people, children and parents - looked happy collecting the acorns, and this made me feel really happy. It is difficult to have harmony in spirits without wanting to feel rewarded, right?

Q) What are the future plans for the "Road Kill Prevention Wall-painting" campaign initiative?
A) Kang Chang-hee Senior Manager