'PD Notebook' Donation Usage Allegations at Nanum House... Yoo Jae-suk's Side Says "It's Regrettable"

Jogye Order: "One-sided Distorted Content That Is Not True"

A revelation has emerged that the donations for 'Nanum-ui Jip' in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, a care facility for Japanese military 'comfort women' victims, were not used for the victims. Photo by MBC 'PD Notebook' screenshot

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Allegations have been raised that donations intended for the comfort women victims of the Japanese military, managed by the nursing facility 'Nanum-ui Jip' in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, were not used for the victims.

On the 19th, MBC's 'PD Notebook' reported in the episode titled 'Did You Donate to Nanum-ui Jip?' that donations could not be used to purchase daily necessities for the grandmothers living at Nanum-ui Jip. According to the report, some of the donations were used for the expansion construction of the dormitory without the consent of the donors.

A volunteer at Nanum-ui Jip, identified as A, appeared on the broadcast and claimed, "The grandmothers' conditions are very poor. However, there is no support at all for rehabilitation treatment or similar needs," adding, "Every time I visit, I feel sorry and uneasy."

An employee of Nanum-ui Jip, B, revealed, "It's not that there is no money; there is actually an abundance. But any money that goes to the grandmothers becomes money that cannot be spent on even the smallest things."

Another employee, C, also stated, "The grandmothers are not the main subjects; the monks are. The grandmothers are considered tenants, that's how it is thought."

Documents related to donations revealed on MBC's 'PD Notebook' on the 19th
Photo by MBC 'PD Notebook' screenshot

Additionally, PD Notebook raised suspicions about the use of donations from celebrities such as Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Dong-wan, and Kim Sung-ryung. In Yoo Jae-suk's case, despite designating his donation for the establishment of a comfort women human rights center, it is alleged that the amount was used for the construction of the dormitory.

One employee disclosed some related documents during the broadcast, stating, "If you look at this document, the last page says that designated donation receipts were received from Yoo Jae-suk and Kim Dong-wan. However, the designated donation receipts we submitted to the city do not include theirs."

In response, a representative from Yoo Jae-suk's agency said, "We spoke with Yoo Jae-suk, and we did not write anything. We confirmed again yesterday," adding, "He feels sorry about this and hopes that such incidents never happen again."

Earlier, on the 19th, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism issued a statement titled 'Position on MBC PD Notebook’s Distortion of Facts and Defamation of Buddhism,' explaining that the PD Notebook broadcast was distorted.

The Jogye Order stated, "PD Notebook posted a preview video using provocative terms such as 'the big picture of the Jogye Order' and one-sided statements from internal whistleblowers like 'all donations go into the Jogye Order corporation,' which are not based on facts, cleverly edited to post the preview video," adding, "These claims shown in the preview are completely false and one-sided distortions."

The Jogye Order further argued, "MBC PD Notebook must clearly specify what is meant by 'Jogye Order corporation' and the basis for the claim that donations 'go into the Jogye Order corporation,'" and "They must also disclose the basis for using the term 'the big picture of the Jogye Order.'"

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