[E-Daily Reporter Kim Ji-woo ] This Chuseok, rest stops are handing out gum, and car washes are offering non-alcoholic beverages. The food and beverage industry is expanding its reach to drivers embarking on long-distance trips for the holiday. This strategy involves using their products in traffic safety campaigns or organizing experiential events in areas frequented by drivers to convey safe driving messages while simultaneously promoting their products.

According to industry sources on the 23rd, LOTTE WELLFOOD(280360)is conducting a “Chewing Gum to Prevent Drowsy Driving Campaign” at highway rest areas in collaboration with the Korea Expressway Corporation’s Seoul-Gyeonggi Headquarters and Daejeon-Chungnam Headquarters. The campaign aims to prevent traffic accidents caused by increased traffic volume and long driving hours during the holiday season. LOTTE WELLFOOD has been running this campaign for 14 years, starting in 2013, to raise drivers’ safety awareness during peak traffic periods such as holidays and the spring outing season.

On the 22nd, at the Gosam Lake Rest Area, the company distributed “Wake-Up Gum,” bottled water, wet wipes, and other safe driving promotional items to long-distance drivers. That afternoon, the campaign continued at the Ok-san Rest Area on the Gyeongbu Expressway (Busan-bound). The company is also providing free inspection services for truck drivers, including the installation of rear reflectors and “big-eye” reflective tape, tire condition checks, and windshield washer fluid refills.

A LOTTE WELLFOOD official stated, “We are conducting this campaign to prevent drowsy driving and ensure a safe journey home for drivers during the Chuseok holiday, when long-distance travel peaks,” adding, “We will fulfill our corporate social responsibility by carrying out sincere social contribution activities that promote safety in everyday life.”

HITEJINRO Beverage is promoting non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages as an alternative for drivers during holiday gatherings. Together with the Seoul Headquarters of the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the company conducted the “Accident-Free Today” campaign at Cheongnyangni Station on the 22nd, and on this day, they are meeting travelers at Seoul Meeting Plaza.

At the event, they are providing guidance on traffic safety rules, such as wearing seat belts in all seats and preventing drunk driving, drowsy driving, and speeding. They are also handing out beverages such as “Hite Zero 0.00,” “Hite Zero 0.00 Lemon & Yuzu,” and “Black Barley Cola.” The aim is to allow consumers who will be driving during the holiday—a time when family and relatives gather frequently—to personally experience beverages they can choose as alternatives to alcohol.

A representative from HITEJINRO Beverages stated, “Since Chuseok offers many opportunities to share meals and drinks with family and relatives, and travel to and from hometowns is particularly heavy during this time, it is crucial to avoid alcohol when planning to drive,” adding “Through this campaign, we hope travelers returning to their hometowns will reflect on the importance of safe driving, and that non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages like Hite Zero 0.00 will become a natural choice even during holiday gatherings.”

OB Beer’s Cas is utilizing a car wash frequented by drivers as a product experience space. Until the 27th, it is hosting a tasting event for its non-alcoholic beverage “Cas All Zero” at the “Wash Zone Garage Wirye” indoor self-service car wash. Visitors can receive one can of Cas All Zero by inserting a special coin—issued after verifying they are of legal drinking age—into a vending machine set up at the event venue. Additionally, Cas plans to run advertisements for Cas All Zero at 50 Wash Zone franchise locations nationwide from the end of this month through next month.

Seo Hye-yeon, Vice President of Marketing at OB Beer, said, “We planned this event to offer a unique experience with Cas All Zero at a new touchpoint—car washes, which drivers frequently visit—during the Chuseok holiday when there is a surge in road traffic.”