Year-End Economic Slump and Impeachment... Welfare Organizations Sigh Amid Donation Freeze

Direct Hit to Childcare Facility Donations
Yeontan Bank Sponsorship Drops 68%

As the year-end economic downturn coincides with the impeachment political turmoil, social welfare facilities are facing difficulties. Unlike previous years, both material and human donations have significantly decreased.

In a neighborhood in Seoul, efforts are bustling to provide briquettes to low-income families. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

According to Asia Economy's coverage on the 20th, child care facilities in Seoul are struggling with operational difficulties due to a decrease in donations. A representative from a child welfare facility in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, said, "The number of donated items this year-end has decreased to about one-third compared to last year," adding, "Donations have also sharply declined, making it difficult to cover field trip education expenses and purchase nutritional supplements for children with growth delays."

A representative A from a child care facility in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, said, "At the end of the year, donors usually contact us after seeing donation encouragement news on TV. However, this year, due to the impeachment political turmoil, the public's attention is focused elsewhere, so the number of contacts has sharply decreased."

The situation is even more severe for welfare organizations that rely on donated goods. According to data compiled by the Social Welfare Corporation Bapsang Community Briquette Bank, from the 1st to the 11th of this month, a total of 544,440 briquettes were donated to the Briquette Bank, a 68% decrease compared to the same period last year. This is a noticeable decline even compared to 2020 (1,023,783 briquettes) and 2021 (1,065,915 briquettes), when COVID-19 was at its peak. Heo Gi-bok, the representative of the Briquette Bank, appealed, "Due to the aftermath of the impeachment, briquette volunteer activities by government agencies and members of the National Assembly are being canceled one after another," adding, "It is very concerning because the donation effect increases when news of donations from various sectors of society is reported through the media."

A representative from the Social Welfare Won-gak, which operates a free meal service at Tapgol Park in Jongno, Seoul, lamented, "Last year at the end of the year, two companies inquired about sponsorship, but this year there has been no contact," adding, "Imported kimchi that cost 14,000 won last year has surged to 17,000 won this year, and the amount of agricultural products sent by farmers for use as food ingredients has also decreased."

Lee Young-joo, team leader of the Donation Culture Research Institute at the Beautiful Foundation, said, "Once the impeachment political turmoil is resolved, the temporarily contracted donation culture can revive," but added, "However, welfare organizations need to make efforts to overcome the crisis by analyzing data on potential donors and attempting new methods of fundraising during this period."

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