Kakao Raises 2.7 Billion Won for Turkey Support ... Kim Beom-su Also Donates 1 Billion Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] Kakao is stepping up to support recovery efforts for the earthquake damage in Turkey and Syria.

On the 12th, Kakao announced that it has raised over 2.7 billion KRW in donations for earthquake recovery and support for disaster victims through its social contribution platform, ‘Kakao Together’. More than 1.04 million users participated in the shortest period ever. Kim Beom-su, Head of Kakao Future Initiative Center, also pledged to donate personal shares worth approximately 1 billion KRW to the Community Chest of Korea.

Since the earthquake occurred on the 6th (local time), Kakao Together opened an emergency donation box from the morning of the 7th in collaboration with UNICEF Korea Committee, Community Chest of Korea, and Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association to raise funds. The news of the fundraising quickly spread through SNS channels and online communities, leading to continuous donations.

The collected funds will be delivered to each organization and used for ▲providing drinking water and food for disaster victims ▲supporting daily necessities and heating supplies ▲relief for affected children ▲medical and health support for rescue and treatment.

Users who wish to participate in the fundraising can donate directly through the donation box page or individual donation boxes, or join by commenting, cheering, and sharing. For every supportive comment posted at the bottom of the donation box page, Kakao will donate 1,000 KRW. Additionally, clicking on individual donation boxes and commenting, cheering, or sharing will result in an extra 100 KRW donation per action. So far, Kakao has donated about 600 million KRW through this initiative and plans to donate up to 1 billion KRW depending on user participation.

Kakao’s impact commerce platform, ‘Kakao Makers’, is also running a project to support earthquake recovery. They have released sweatshirts and smartphone cases featuring illustrations and messages conveying warm support for Turkey and Syria. Both products are made-to-order with no leftover stock and will be exclusively sold on Kakao Makers until 5 PM on the 19th. All proceeds will be donated to UNICEF Korea Committee and used for rebuilding affected areas, providing clean water and sanitation, and medical support.

Hong Eun-taek, CEO of Kakao, said, “The outpouring of support from users to help the two countries suffering from the earthquake is rapidly growing, and Kakao along with Kim Beom-su, Head of the Future Initiative Center, decided to join in with their hearts. We express our deepest condolences to Turkey and Syria and hope this will aid in safe recovery and the restoration of daily life.”

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