In 1988, Lee Kun-hee took the time to visit one of the few remaining shantytowns in Seoul. He was shocked by the sight of the struggling families, particularly children playing unsupervised in the streets amidst traffic. This experience inspired him to create a unique childcare project that would empower low-income couples to go to work each day with peace of mind concerning their children.

Samsung’s childcare project was developed to give people living in impoverished areas with few safe childcare options the opportunity to work and break the cycle of poverty.

His goal was to create a ripple effect, and he believed that by creating a small program to help disadvantaged people, he could set in motion a greater movement that would grow to support children across the country. If both parents could work, they could pull themselves out of poverty. Overall, it would improve Korea’s social stability.

In December 1989, Samsung opened the Cheonma Daycare Center in Seoul’s Songpa-gu, Seoul, becoming the first Korean company to undertake such an initiative. The broader objective was to open daycare centers in areas with high concentrations of low-income households and, over the next 16 years, 47 daycare centers were built across the country, employing 870 teachers and providing care for over 5,800 children.

The timing was important because when Samsung embarked on the initiative, there were only 2,000 daycares in Korea. By 2006, the number had multiplied by a factor of fifteen, to 30,000, and the initiative grew into a nationwide program with government support. Lee Kun-hee’s inspiration had sparked a nationwide change.