By John Redmond
Contributing Writer
Contrary to a popular misconception that many foreign owned/run businesses in Korea have a ``take the money and run'' attitude, very little is known about those that frequently give back to the community.
The Wolfhound Irish Pub last Christmas held a fundraiser where they raised a total of 1.8 million won, all of which was donated to the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center (KSVRC), an organization that assists female victims of sexual assault.
The center was established in April 1991 by a group of women aiming to create a society free from sexual violence.
As Korea's first specialized center for this, it not only offers a variety of counseling services, but also sexual violence prevention education and informs the public on policy related to this with the aim of creating a gender-equal culture
The services provided at the center includes counseling and support for sexual violence survivors, specifically services over the phone, in person, and online; providing medical and legal assistance; and operating Yeolimteo, a shelter for victims
Other activities aimed at changing a gender-based culture include monitoring and analyzing the culture of gender discrimination and sexual violence, securing victim's rights, campaigns and public events, and activities aimed at combating online sexual violence
The money for the fundraising efforts will be used to upgrade the organization's computer equipment.
In an email to Wayne Gold, manager of the Wolfhound, Lee Eun-sang, spokeswoman of the center, said, `` We are planning to use your donation to buy new computers. Our old computers do not work properly and computers are very important to generate the best results in our work.''
The center is a non-profit organization. Those wishing to make a donation of money, office supplies, computers, clothing or food will be registered as a supporter and can receive newsletters and other material. Supporters will also be invited to various KSVRC events.
For more information, visit the site in Korean or English at www.sisters.or.kr/index