Seongdong-gu Sends $100,000 in Relief Funds and 15 Tons of Relief Supplies to Turkey

Participation from Seongdong-gu and across the nation continues... Seongdong-gu, together with the Volunteer Center, inspects and sorts all relief supplies

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu: “We will do our best until the end to ensure that the heartfelt support you sent is fully delivered to the affected areas.”

On the 17th, volunteers from Seongdong-gu who finished repackaging emergency relief supplies are taking a group photo with Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu (second from the left in the center), and Bae Moon-chan, Chairman of the Seongdong-gu Volunteer Center.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it will send the first batch of emergency relief supplies and funds collected over the past week for the T?rkiye-Syria earthquake relief efforts.

As residents of Seongdong-gu and Seoul continued to step forward to help distant neighbors in despair, the relief funds collected in Seongdong-gu over the week reached $100,000, and the relief supplies amounted to approximately 15 tons.

Since the 13th, Seongdong-gu, in collaboration with the Seongdong-gu Volunteer Center, set up reception desks at 17 community service centers within the district and the 3rd-floor auditorium of Seongdong-gu Office, conducting a campaign to collect emergency relief supplies and funds.

News of Seongdong-gu’s relief supply and fund collection spread through media reports and online channels, prompting warm-hearted contributions not only from within the district but also from other regions. Outdoor gear specialist company Northpeak donated 100 boxes of winter tents worth about 90 million KRW, among other corporate participations. Over the course of a week, relief supplies totaling 550 boxes and about 15 tons arrived in Seongdong-gu from all over the country.

The flow of relief funds also continued. Baek Moon-chan, CEO of Epi Korea, a local businessperson and chairman of the Seongdong-gu Volunteer Center, generously donated 10 million KRW, saying, “I hope this will bring comfort to the disaster victims who have lost their homes and are enduring great sorrow and pain.” In total, about 190 people donated relief funds over the week, requesting they be used for emergency relief.

Ahead of the first shipment on the 20th, Seongdong-gu and the Seongdong-gu Volunteer Center carefully inspected and sorted the donated items, repackaging them by category to ensure that these precious contributions reach the disaster victims properly. For items that may be unfamiliar to use, such as heat packs, separate usage instructions were attached, completing thorough preparations for sending the relief supplies.

Starting with this first shipment, Seongdong-gu plans to deliver collected relief supplies and funds to the affected areas once a week, continuing the campaign until the end of this month while considering local conditions and shipping circumstances. In particular, the campaign will prioritize collecting relief items most urgently needed based on the situation on the ground to provide practical assistance for earthquake recovery.

Mayor Jung Won-oh of Seongdong-gu said, “I did not expect so many hearts to gather in Seongdong-gu in just one week,” and expressed gratitude to everyone who took the lead in empathizing with and sharing the pain of those wounded by the T?rkiye-Syria earthquake.

He added, “I hope the warm condolences sent not only by Seongdong-gu residents but also from all over the country will soothe the wounds of the people of T?rkiye and Syria and contribute even a little to their recovery. Seongdong-gu will also do its utmost until the end to ensure that the collected support is fully delivered to the affected areas.”

Members of the Jung-gu Council in Seoul donated funds to the Seoul branch of the Korean Red Cross in the plenary session hall.

Seoul Jung-gu Council Donates 3 Million KRW for T?rkiye Earthquake Recovery to Korean Red Cross Seoul Chapter

Council Members and Secretariat Staff Unite to Support Relief Efforts

The Seoul Jung-gu Council (Chairperson Gil Ki-young) delivered an emergency relief donation of 3 million KRW for the people suffering from the T?rkiye and Syria earthquake damage to the Korean Red Cross Seoul Metropolitan Chapter (Chairman Kim Heung-kwon) on the 22nd at the council’s plenary session.

Attending the donation ceremony were Jung-gu Council Chairperson Gil Ki-young, Vice Chairperson Yoon Pan-oh, Council Members Lee Jung-mi, Song Jae-chun, Cho Mi-jung, Son Ju-ha, So Jae-kwon, Heo Sang-wook, and Yang Eun-mi, who handed over the 3 million KRW donation to Lee Hyun-sook, Director of the Korean Red Cross Central Volunteer Center.

This donation was raised voluntarily by Jung-gu Council members and Secretariat staff and will be passed on to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) through the Korean Red Cross to support relief for disaster victims and earthquake recovery efforts by the local Red Crescent in T?rkiye.

Chairperson Gil Ki-young said, “We express our condolences and sympathy to the people of T?rkiye and Syria who have lost their homes due to the unexpected earthquake,” adding, “We hope this donation will help in the recovery of daily life and healing of the affected residents.”