Youngone Corporation will provide the government with 1,000,000 (1 million) pieces of safety masks on an emergency basis on Thursday. Kihak Sung, Chairman and CEO of Youngone Corporation, has decided to provide the masks for the use of doctors, nurses and other health service providers and essential workers. Read: Korea promotes young entrepreneurs’ development through business curriculum at universities A handover ceremony in this regard will be held at the office of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on the day. DG Health Services Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam will be receiving the safety masks from Shaikh Shahinur Rahman, Managing Director, Youngone Corporation and Md. Shahjahan, Managing Director, Korean EPZ. Karnaphuli Polyester Products Company Ltd (KPP), a concern of Youngone Corporation, located at Korean EPZ (KEPZ), Anowara, Chattogram has manufactured these safety masks complying with all required procedures and formalities of the DGDA, said an official. In the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Bangladesh is facing a challenge of unprecedented scale, said the Youngone Corporation, mentioning that they deeply appreciate the measures and actions taken by the government of Bangladesh to overcome the challenges posed by Covid-19. Since the pandemic started in 2020 to support the government’s initiatives, Kihak Sung came forward with needful medical support for the affected people. In April 2020, at the very outset of the pandemic, Youngone donated 75,000 pcs of Standard PPE (Hazmat Suit, Face Mask and Face Shield) for the use of frontline service providers, including doctors, nurses as well as other health service providers and members of the related government agencies engaged in the field. Read:S Korean envoy Lee for diversifying collaboration with Bangladesh In July 2021, Korean EPZ, a concern of Youngone Corporation, distributed food-aid among 2,000 Covid-affected families and a good quantity of masks to neighbouring villages and other government agencies. During the dire need of extension of medical facilities, Youngone donated medical beds to Bangladesh Institute of Tropical & Infectious Diseases (BITID), Fouzderhat, Chattogram, said the South Korea-based conglomerate.

Textile zone at the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in Chattogram will become a “textile hub” in Bangladesh bringing a lot of businesses if the required support is provided to "quickly and fully '' implement it, says the Youngone chief.   He said the five mega factories, if completed, will have a combined floor space of over 2,000,000 sft.   “Bangladesh needs to make a lot of efforts to produce and supply more manmade fibre (MMF) so that such a supply chain is established successfully here,” said South Korea-based global conglomerate Youngone Corporation Chairman and CEO Kihak Sung.  Also read: S Korea provides US$ 1 mn to IOM to support Rohingyas ... He said such efforts will help Bangladesh get a lot of businesses, not losing everything to Vietnam. “That’s my challenge now.” During an interaction at the KEPZ recently, Sung said they have a budget to invest another US$ 400 million of their investment. “As long as we’re competitive and customers can take our goods and they make a profit, then we can increase it (investment volume)." Youngone already started manufacturing polyester fabrics at the two latest state-of-the-art polyester product factories with a floor space of over 430,000 for each which will be expanded to two more similar units for export and supply of high-quality products to garments and apparel factories in Bangladesh as an import substitute and backward linkage. Read Textile backbone of Bangladesh’s industrial efforts: FM “We want to be really supportive of Bangladesh garment factories. We need to make raw materials, garments and everything here,” Sung said, adding that quality energy supply still remains the main challenge. He said they are applying for the generation of captive power in the KEPZ to meet "essential demand of quality" power supply for the sophisticated textile industries.

To support the government’s initiatives to tackle the coronavirus situation, Youngone Corporation will donate 25,000 protective garments, 25,000 masks and 25,000 basic face shields to healthcare professionals.   Youngone is going to make partial delivery of the donation (15,000 protective garments, 25,000 masks, and 1,150 basic face shield) in the first phase, said a press release.   A handover programme was arranged in the office of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) where the Director General of Health Services Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad received the PPEs from Sabyasachi Chowdhury, Managing Director, Global Manufacturing, Youngone Corporation.