Seoul City and Seoul Social Welfare Council Launch Special Fundraising for Heatwave Preparedness... Target Amount 1 Billion Won

Fundraising for Cooling Equipment Support to Protect Energy Welfare Blind Spots Vulnerable to Summer Heatwaves

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Social Welfare Council announced on the 31st that they will promote a special fundraising project called ‘2021 Seonseonhan Seoul’ to support vulnerable groups in the energy welfare blind spots in preparation for the summer heatwave.

Seoul’s average temperature rose by 2.1°C from 10.7°C in 1911?1920 to 12.8°C in 2001?2010. Compared to 2005, the number of heatwave days increased from 6 to 35 in 2018, and tropical nights rose from 11 to 29 days. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this summer’s temperature is expected to be higher than average. With more time spent at home due to COVID-19, it is anticipated that vulnerable groups living in old houses susceptible to heatwaves will face greater difficulties getting through the summer.

The Seoul Energy Welfare Citizen Fund of the Seoul Metropolitan Social Welfare Council has been supporting these groups annually since 2015 through the ‘Seonseonhan (善善) Seoul’ project by providing various cooling supplies (such as fans, air conditioners, cooling mats, circulators, etc.) and cooling expenses to help them have a healthy summer.

The special fundraising target is 1 billion KRW, and a ‘Cutting Spending Fundraising Challenge’ will be held to promote the campaign. The challenge encourages participation in donations by saving daily expenses such as ‘not buying a cup of coffee’ or ‘saving one public transportation fare by walking.’ The challenge is launched jointly by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Social Welfare Council, the Seoul Energy Welfare Citizen Fund, and comedian Kim Tae-gyun, who serves as the campaign ambassador, to boost enthusiasm for donation participation.

The special fundraising period runs until July 31. Ways to participate include bank transfer (Woori Bank, 1005-202-596612, Seoul Metropolitan Social Welfare Council), non-face-to-face donations via QR code, text donations by sending #70795050 (2,000 KRW per message), and participation through eco-mileage earned by saving energy in daily life.

Kim Hyun-hoon, chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Social Welfare Council, said, “Compared to winter heating welfare for vulnerable groups, social interest in cooling welfare is relatively low. However, as summer heat worsens due to the climate crisis, we ask for the attention and warm support of many people for this special fundraising.” He added, “The Seoul Metropolitan Social Welfare Council will continue to pay close attention to various social issues and provide support to ensure no neighbors are left behind.”

Lee Dong-ryul, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Environmental Policy Division, said, “This summer’s temperature is expected to be higher than average, so interest and support for energy-vulnerable groups are more necessary than ever.” He urged, “We ask for the interest and participation of many citizens so that neighbors around us can have a healthy summer.”

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