'Wildfire Damage' Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun Lead Donations... The Pop Culture Industry Rolls Up Its Sleeves

Lee Je-hoon, IU, Yoo Byung-jae Donate
Temporary Shelter Provided for Wildfire Victims in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk
Firefighters Deliver Aid to Vulnerable Children Affected

Photo by Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun (Showbox), Lee Je-hoon (Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] The entertainment industry has stepped up to help victims of wildfires in the Gangwon and Gyeongbuk regions.

According to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association, actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Je-hoon, and singer IU (Lee Ji-eun) each donated 100 million won to support emergency relief efforts for wildfire victims.

Through his agency, Song Kang-ho expressed, "I donated funds to help those struggling due to the wildfire damage."

Lee Je-hoon said, "I hope that the necessary relief supplies for firefighters working hard at the wildfire sites and the affected evacuees are provided quickly and sufficiently, and that wildfire suppression and damage recovery are completed as soon as possible."

Unlike in the past when donations were often for show, recently actors have been directly identifying appropriate donation channels and seeking practical ways to help.

Lee Byung-hun’s agency explained that upon hearing that over 150 homes were completely destroyed by the wildfire and that evacuees had taken refuge in places like convention centers and gymnasiums, he decided to donate urgently needed funds to provide temporary mobile modular housing for the displaced.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

IU also quickly and carefully assessed what help was most needed by the affected neighbors after hearing about the severe wildfire damage and made her donation accordingly.

Additionally, Kim Go-eun and Hyeri (Lee Hye-ri) each donated 50 million won to the association. After learning about the wildfire’s spread, Hyeri immediately contacted Hope Bridge and worked together to find ways to support the victims. She donated to aid firefighters battling the fires and to support vulnerable children affected by the disaster.

Lee Seung-yoon, a broadcaster active in the mountains on the show "I Am a Natural Person," writer-turned-broadcaster Yoo Byung-jae, and broadcaster Lee Hye-young each donated 10 million won to support wildfire relief. Yoo Byung-jae publicly shared his donation on social media with a message saying, "Stay strong."

The donations will be used to provide temporary shelters such as mobile modular homes for evacuees, as well as support for firefighters and vulnerable groups.

Kim Jeong-hee, Secretary General of Hope Bridge, stated, "We will do our best to help the evacuees who lost their homes to the sudden flames to stand up again quickly through warm support."

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the morning of the 7th that approximately 16,775 hectares of forest were damaged by the East Coast wildfires. President Moon Jae-in declared the Uljin area in Gyeongsangbuk-do and the Samcheok area in Gangwon-do as special disaster zones on the 6th.

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