Celebrity IU Donates 30 Million Won... Seocho District Residents Continue Donation Relay

Relay Participation of Seocho Moms for Daegu Area Leads to Donation to 'Daegu Medical Association'... Donations for Shortage of Quarantine Supplies Continue from Seocho-gu Resident Celebrity 'IU' to Anonymous Residents

A box of garaetteok delivered along with the letter

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "Continuing the relay," "Relay~#StayStrong Daegu!," "I also join the relay with a small contribution," "Seocho moms joining the relay" ? these are the posts filling the bulletin board of a community recently formed by mothers living in the Seocho area.

As the novel coronavirus spreads nationwide, with a sharp increase in COVID-19 patients especially in the Daegu area, Seocho-gu (Mayor Cho Eun-hee) has become a hot topic for the donation relay led by Seocho moms.

This donation relay, voluntarily made from as little as 50,000 KRW to several hundred thousand KRW under anonymous names, Seocho moms, or individual IDs, was initiated with the intention of Seocho moms coming together to support Daegu’s call for aid.

As the harsh conditions and the lives of struggling medical staff in Daegu appeared on the internet, mothers living in Seocho-gu decided to take the lead in helping overcome COVID-19, starting from the ideas of a few individuals.

Currently, this relay donation, which began with the hope of gathering small kindnesses to create warm results, shares official accounts such as the Korean Medical Association’s support account, Daegu Dongsan Hospital, and Daegu Medical Association, encouraging each other and continuing day by day.

In addition to cash donations, considering the shortage of daily necessities on site, donations of various daily items such as cup noodles, disposable products, and tissue paper are also ongoing. Children growing up with their mothers are also participating, adding strength to the support with pocket money collected by their small hands.

Moreover, amid nationwide shortages of masks and hand sanitizers due to the spread of COVID-19, donations from local residents including the celebrity IU, who resides in the area, continue.

An anonymous resident living in Seocho-dong generously donated 10 million KRW in cash to the district office. This 80-year-old donor, who wished to remain unnamed, said, "As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise, I want to contribute even a small amount. I was deeply moved to see a restaurant, previously visited by a confirmed patient and suffering a sharp drop in sales, regain vitality through the mayor’s visit and help from local residents. As a long-time resident, I am simply doing what I should."

A resident of Jamwon-dong also joined in, willingly donating 800 medical masks they owned to the district office.

The local celebrity IU also participated in the good cause. Having continuously donated to low-income groups since 2015, IU donated 30 million KRW, which will be used to purchase and deliver quarantine supplies needed by basic livelihood security households and single-parent families.

Furthermore, warm kindness and support from residents are pouring in for the district office, public health center, and screening clinic staff, who have been overwhelmed with work due to the recent surge in confirmed cases.

On February 28th around 3:20 PM, a man in his mid-50s delivered a box of rice cakes and a note at the front gate of the public health center and then quietly disappeared.

Mask

Identifying himself as a Buddhist from Yangjae-dong, the handwritten note on white paper read, "Thank you for your hard work. To you who fight the invisible with the invisible, I send my invisible heart," and expressed gratitude and thanks.

Also, on the 27th of last month, ‘Seoripul Healing Walking,’ a group of residents walking in Seoripul Park, collected donations from many residents and sent eight boxes of rice cakes to the public health center. They said they wanted to send encouragement to those who usually wear uncomfortable protective suits and work risking their safety.

Residents such as Mr. Kwon from Seocho Saemaeul Geumgo also sent bread and drinks for COVID-19 emergency workers, saying, "Let’s all stay strong and overcome this crisis together," supporting each other. In addition, small acts of warmth from unidentified residents continue day by day.

This warm relay of support from Seocho-gu residents, extending from their homes to faraway Daegu, is warming the local community and alleviating vague anxieties, becoming a driving force to overcome the crisis together with neighbors.

Mayor Cho Eun-hee said, "What the virus cannot penetrate is our hearts," and added, "Based on the warm hearts of Seocho residents who rely on and help each other in this national crisis, the district office will continue to do its best."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.