Warm-hearted sparks are gathering to combat the flames. From the idol group Seventeen and IVE to actors Byun Woo-seok and Gong Yoo, donations continue to pour in from all corners of the entertainment industry to support firefighters battling wildfires and the victims affected by the disaster.
The Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association (Chairman Song Pil-ho) announced donations from groups such as Seventeen, IVE, BTS's J-Hope and Suga, and aespa's Karina.
Seventeen, which has been practicing sharing for marginalized communities and donating funds for disaster recovery both domestically and internationally, stated, "We hope this can be a small help to those affected by the wildfires. We express our deep condolences to the victims and send comfort to everyone going through this difficult time," and generously donated 1 billion won.
IVE added to the effort by donating 100 million won for wildfire damage support and another 100 million won to improve the treatment and perception of firefighters dedicated to disaster sites, totaling 200 million won. Karina, who expressed, "I feel like there hasn't been a time when I missed ordinary life as much as now," donated 100 million won, hoping that the prolonged wildfires would end soon and that everyone affected could return to their daily lives. BTS's J-Hope and Suga also donated 100 million won each, stating, "We hope the ongoing wildfire situation ends soon. We wish for everyone who has lost their homes and those working hard on the firefighting efforts to quickly return to a peaceful daily life."
MONSTA X donated 100 million won through the NGO Good Neighbors. They expressed, "We hope this can be of some help to the residents affected by the wildfires in Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk," and added, "We wish for the residents who suddenly lost their homes to return to their daily lives as soon as possible."
LE SSERAFIM donated 50 million won through Hope Bridge, ENHYPEN's Jungwon donated 30 million won, and OH MY GIRL's Arin donated 20 million won.
Red Velvet's Seulgi donated 100 million won through the Korean Red Cross (Chairman Kim Cheol-soo) for the victims affected by the wildfires, while fellow group member Wendy donated 50 million won through the Fruit of Love. Seulgi expressed, "I felt deep sorrow for the many victims whose daily lives and livelihoods are threatened by the unexpected large wildfires." She decided to donate, hoping that her small contribution would help. Taeyeon from Girls' Generation, a senior in Red Velvet's agency, also donated 100 million won, stating, "It pains me to see the damage increasing as the wildfires spread. I hope this can provide some strength to the victims, firefighters, and relief workers who are going through tough times."
TWICE's Jihyo donated 50 million won through the Fruit of Love for the recovery of the wildfire damage in the Yeongnam region, while 2PM member and actor Lee Junho donated 100 million won to World Vision (Chairman Jo Myung-hwan), an international relief and development NGO, to help children and victims affected by the large wildfires in Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk. JYP Entertainment, to which they belong, donated 500 million won to assist the victims.
The trot industry also joined the donation efforts. Kim Hee-jae donated 50 million won under the fandom name 'Hee-rang Star' for wildfire damage support, and recent 'Current King of Song 2' winner Park Seo-jin donated his entire prize of 100 million won for the recovery and support of the affected areas. Jung Dong-won and his fan club 'Universe Total Mobilization' donated 130 million won to the Korean Red Cross, sharing warm news.
Actors also contributed with donations. Byun Woo-seok, who rose to fame with 'Carrying the Seonjae,' donated 100 million won to support wildfire victims in Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam. He stated, "I hope this can be a small help to those going through difficult times due to the wildfire damage," and expressed sincere gratitude to all those dedicated to firefighting efforts. He added, "I sincerely hope that the wildfires are extinguished soon, and everyone can return to their daily lives as quickly as possible."
Lee Jong-suk, who donated 200 million won to Hope Bridge to help neighbors affected by the Donghae wildfire in 2022, has now donated 100 million won to support the wildfire victims. With this donation, Lee Jong-suk's total contributions to Hope Bridge have reached 300 million won.
Actors Gong Yoo, Choi Woo-shik, and Jang Geun-seok also donated 100 million won each to aid in wildfire recovery. Gong Yoo stated, "I hope this can be a small help to the victims suffering from the prolonged wildfires and to all those working hard on the front lines," while Choi Woo-shik expressed, "I wanted to convey my sincere support to those who have lost their homes and are going through tough times due to the wildfires."
Additionally, Lee Dong-wook, Uee, Kim Yoo-jung, Kim Go-eun, and Noh Yoon-seo also joined the donation efforts, with Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea, donating 100 million won to support wildfire victims. Writer Kim Eun-sook and Yoon Ha-rim, CEO of Hwa & Dam Pictures, donated 60 million won through the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association for the recovery of wildfire damage in Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Ulsan.
Singer Lee Hyori donated 100 million won, while her husband and artist Lee Sang-soon donated 20 million won. The representative couple of the entertainment industry, Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin, each donated 50 million won, continuing their consistent good deeds. Kim So-yeon and Lee Sang-woo also donated 50 million won for wildfire relief, sharing their warm hearts.
Meanwhile, the large-scale wildfire situation that began on the 21st in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, has continued for a week, causing serious damage. The affected forest area has been reported to exceed 36,009 hectares, more than 10,000 hectares beyond the 23,794 hectares affected by the Donghae wildfire in 2000, with 26 reported deaths and over 28,000 victims.
[Geum Bit-na, MK Sports Reporter]
