hankyoreh

China’s Anhui Province plans to donate 99,000 masks and 700 sets of protective gear to Gangwon Province, with which it has a sister relationship. (provided by Gangwon Province)

People inside and outside of South Korea are starting to share and make donations in an attempt to beat the novel coronavirus crisis. Local governments in China that previously received help from South Korea are now returning the favor as countless people come together in a show of solidarity.

South Korea’s Gangwon Province announced on Mar. 11 that it’s continuing to receive donations from China’s Jilin and Anhui Provinces, with which it has a sister relationship, and from Hubei and Hunan Provinces, with which it has a tradition of friendly exchange. On Mar. 13, 99,000 masks and 700 sets of protective suits arrived from Anhui Province. Next week, Gangwon Province is slated to receive 10,000 masks and 5,000 pairs of medical gloves from Hubei Province; 17,800 masks and other disease control supplies from the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), a state-owned enterprise; and 100,000 masks from Tong Dai Holdings.

Gangwon Province had donated 240,000 masks to Jilin Province this past January, and now Jilin Province has promised to repay its debt by sending masks and protective suits. “Just like the old proverb, ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed,’ China has agreed to send us some precious gifts. We’re planning to distribute them evenly among residents of the province,” said Park Dae-yong, head of the Chinese commerce section at the provincial office.

Chinese-Koreans living in South Korea have also raised funds to purchase supplies for Daegu, the epicenter of South Korea’s epidemic. Sixteen Chinese-Korean organizations representing businesspeople, media outlets, and other groups in South Korea announced on Wednesday that they’d bought 2,000 packs of ramen noodles with donated funds and sent the noodles to the disaster management office at Daegu City Hall to be distributed to residents in need.

That fundraiser was spearheaded by Eom Eun-ha, CEO of Ace New Food. “When China was struggling with COVID-19 [the disease resulting from the novel coronavirus], we were grateful to the South Korean government and groups sending so much relief aid to China, which has been of great help to our families and relatives back home. We’ve raised these funds with the hope that we can bring the people of Daegu some comfort and beat this together,” Eom said in a telephone call with the Hankyoreh on Wednesday.

Residents of Jeonju Hanok Village in North Jeolla Province donate 14 million won (US,637) in cash and snacks to the city government on Mar. 11. (provided by the city of Jeonju)

Communities and residents of the Jeonju Hanok Village, in North Jeolla Province, donated 14 million won (US$11,637) in cash and snacks to the city government on Mar. 11. The Jeonju Hanok Village has witnessed increasing support for the “nice landlord” campaign, which encourages building owners to lower rent for shop owners hard-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. The city is planning to give the donated pastries and snacks to screening clinics in the city and to use the donated money in projects for combating the epidemic.

“While the Hanok Village has taken a hit, we suggested the fundraiser because sharing is even more important when times are tough. We hope that our kindness will serve as the energy to beat COVID-19,” said Cho Mun-gyu, president of the Virtuous Forum, a group organized to promote the development of the Hanok Village.

A campaign to hand out masks is also gaining support. A public-private council for better labor relations in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, plans to distribute 5,000 masks to the elderly and people with disabilities every week. This project is bringing together citizens and corporations, with the Hwasong local branch of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and the Hwaseong Chamber of Commerce and Industry covering the cost and volunteers doing the work. A volunteering group in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, has started a “warm-hearted mask” campaign with the goal of making 62,000 masks and distributing them free of charge to students in elementary, middle, and high schools.

Nine maesil (a type of apricot) processing companies in Gwanyang, South Jeolla Province, have given 507 liters of maesil preserves (worth 13 million won, or US$10,800) to volunteers, medical staff and residents of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, while 10 agricultural companies in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, have sent 2,500kg of Napa cabbage kimchi and 1,000kg of salt sandspurry to Daegu. Ten members of the Mudflat Octopus Fishing Management Cooperative in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, have sent 2,000 octopuses to Yeongju, Gyeongsan, and Bonghwa County in North Gyeongsang Province to aid the recovery of medical staff.

An anonymous donor gives 1 million won (US0.18) in cash to the community welfare center in the Mungwang Township of Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province. (provided by Goesan County)

Government offices around the country have also been receiving anonymous donations. On Mar. 9, a woman wearing a mask gave 1 million won (US$830.18) in cash to the community welfare center in the Mungwang Township of Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province. All she said before leaving was, “I’ve saved this money by cutting down on my living expenses. Please use it to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

On Feb. 28, a man had dropped off a handwritten letter and 1 million won in cash at the community welfare center in the Cheongcheon Township of Goesan County. Anonymous benefactors also gave 500,000 won (US$415.10) in cash and 20 sacks of rice to community centers in Gwangsan District of Gwangju and Gwansan Township in Jangheung County, South Jeolla Province, along with instructions to help people who were struggling with the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to figures released by Nam In-sun, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party, on Mar. 11, the Community Chest of Korea had brought in a total of 43.33 billion won (US$37.97 million) in special donations for COVID-19 as of Mar. 9, including 39.83 billion won (US$33.07 million) in cash and 3.5 billion won (US$2.91 million) in goods.

By Oh Yoon-joo, Cheongju correspondent, Park Soo-hyuk, Gangwon correspondent, Hong Yong-duk, South Gyeonggi correspondent, Park Im-keun, North Jeolla correspondent, Ahn Kwan-ok, Gwangju correspondent, and Kang Jae-gu, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]