Donations from Korean Stars ★ for Japanese Disaster Relief Exceed $5 Million USD

Thanks to the ongoing donation relays, it looks like the total donation fund made by Korean celebrities for the Japanese disaster relief will surpass $5 million USD.

On March 17th, SM Entertainment announced that they have donated $1 million USD to the Japanese disaster relief fund through the Red Cross Society.

On the same day, actor Won Bin also donated nearly $200,000 USD to the Korean Committee for UNICEF to assist Japanese childrens suffering from the disaster.

When cumulating the donations made on the 17th with the previous donations made by Bae Yong Joon, Lee Byung Heon, Rye Si Won, Song Seung Heon, Choi Ji Woo, Kim Hyun Joong, Jang Geun Seuk, Ahn Jae Wook, YG Entertainment, and JYJ, the fund amounts to about a staggering $49.4 million USD. 

With Kara’s recent announcement to donate all proceeds from their new single, “Jet Coaster Love,” to relief funds (which could add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars) and Suh Do Young’s donation of his performance fee from KBS 2TV drama “The Thorn Birds,” the total donation amount is expected to easily surpass $5 million USD.

Such donation parade was initiated on the 14th by Hallyu stars like Bae Yong Joon, Ryu Si Won, Kim Hyun Joong, Jang Geun Seuk. Bae Yong Joon donated about $1 million USD to a relief organization in Japan.

Also, Rye Si Won and Kim Hyung Joong each donated around $200,000 USD and $100,000 USD to provide assistance to those affected by the disaster. On that day, Jang Geun Seuk also donated around $140,000 USD to the Japanese relief effort fund. On the following day, Song Seung Heon and Choi Ji Woo both donated around $200,000 USD each to the Salvation Army and the Red Cross Society.

The donation relay of Korean stars also extended to the Kpop industry. On the 15th, YG Entertainment donated nearly $500,000 USD, while on the next day, JYJ donated roughly $600,000 USD. Furthermore, on the 18th, JYP Entertainment donated around $300,000 USD to the Red Cross Society.

Waves of donations were made by actors as well, with Lee Byung Heon and Ahn Jae Wook each donating about $700,000 USD and $100,000 USD.

Such avid donation relays from Korean stars have gathered attention not only from the Japanese press but also from various media outlets worldwide. On the 15th, numerous media sources such as France news agency AFP and US newspaper WSJ published in-depth reports about Korean stars taking action to help the relief effort in Japan.

Here are some of the ways that you can follow suit of your favorite stars and donate as well to the relief effort. Even a small gift would be greatly appreciated, as the victims are currently suffering from huge shortage of food and basic living supplies:

International Red Cross   http://www.icrc.org/eng
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent  http://www.ifrc.org/
UNICEF  http://www.unicef.org/support/index.html

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