Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS), a major South Korean auto parts maker, said Sunday that it carried out a river cleanup along the Miho River in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong Province, on March 20, ahead of World Water Day on March 22, designated by the United Nations.
World Water Day is an international observance established to raise global awareness of water pollution and scarcity and to promote sustainable water resource management.
Around 200 participants joined the cleanup, including about 100 Hyundai Mobis employees and their families, Jincheon County government officials, local environmental groups and suppliers. Participants collected household waste, removed invasive plant species such as Japanese hop and burcucumber, and carried out habitat restoration work along the riverbank stretching from the Miho River confluence toward Baekgok Stream.
The Miho River is home to a diverse range of freshwater species, including endangered ones. Since 2023, Hyundai Mobis has been running a biodiversity conservation project in the Miho River area in partnership with Jincheon County and local environmental organizations. The project includes releasing juvenile miho spine loach — a Natural Monument and Class 1 endangered species — and conducting quarterly ecosystem monitoring.
Hyundai Mobis said the cleanup efforts are yielding visible results, noting that the yellow-throated marten, a Class 2 endangered wildlife species, has been confirmed to inhabit Mir Forest near the Miho River. Mir Forest is a 1.09-million-square-meter ecological forest that Hyundai Mobis created near its Jincheon plant, investing 10 billion won ($7.3 million) over a decade from 2012 to 2022. As an apex predator, the marten's presence indicates that the food chain and habitat environment remain stable. Eurasian otters, designated as both a Natural Monument and an endangered species, and leopard cats, a legally protected species, have also been spotted in Mir Forest.
Hyundai Mobis has positioned biodiversity conservation and carbon neutrality as key pillars of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. In 2022, it became the first company in South Korea's automotive industry to join RE100, a global initiative committing to source 100% of corporate electricity from renewable energy. In September last year, the company received international approval from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its greenhouse gas reduction targets through 2030.