Chairman¡¯s love of birds knows no bounds

The office of LG Group chairman Koo Bon-Moo is located on the 30th floor of the East Building of the LG Twin Tower in Yoido, Seoul.

What draws visitors¡¯ attention is a highly efficient telescope installed at a window. Chairman Koo, from time to time during his work, watches migratory birds at Pam Islet in the Han River through the telescope.

His aides say that Koo used to maintain his composure by watching the migrants strolling the riverside leisurely before he made an important decision.

Chairman Koo¡¯s special love of birds is quite well known in the business community. He said he acquired affection for birds on the occasion of his finding an injured bird and treating it with his whole heart when he was young.

He has become expert enough to name any bird species just by seeing its body gesture and fluttering or hearing its song from a distance, according to his aides.

When a kestrel built a nest in the LG Twin Tower last year, he instructed the building manager to take care of the bird specially, and it hatched out six chicks.

An LG official said that the naming LG¡¯s pro basketball team, the Sakers, has something to do with chairman Koo¡¯s love of birds.

LG Evergreen Foundation, headed by Koo, Tuesday issued the ¡°Birds of Korea,¡± an illustrated book listing 450 species of birds, including world-famous rare birds and those inhabiting the Korean peninsula, in both Korean and English editions.

It took six years to publish the book at a cost of 600 million won, and the book is characteristic of the application of illustration technique, compared to the existing pictorials, the official said.

The book records diverse pictures of males and females, mother birds and chicks, summer feathers and winter feathers that will help determine the birds¡¯ species.

The LG Evergreen Foundation decided to use all the profits from the sales of the book for projects to protect birds.