Celebs' donations, condolences continue

Cha Seung-won

By Kwon Ji-youn

Celebrities and sports stars continue their efforts to aid the victims of the ferry accident as search-and-rescue operations entered into their eighth day Wednesday in waters off the southwestern island of Jindo.

The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol capsized and sank on April 16, taking the lives of about 150 passengers, mostly high school students.

Actor Cha Seung-won donated 100 million won to the families of the missing people, Tuesday, through the Community Chest of Korea.

The Community Chest stated that it would use the money to send down provisions to the families of the missing who are camped out at a gymnasium in Jindo. Part of the donation will be used to aid search operations.

Golfer Choi Kyung-joo, who plays on the PGA tour, also donated 100 million won to Danwon High School in Ansan, which many of the victims attended. A total of 325 students from the school were on their way to Jeju Island for a field trip when the accident occurred.

Kim Tae-kyun and Jung Geun-woo of the Hanhwa Eagles donated 50 million won and 10 million won, respectively.

Singer Connie Talbot, who visited Seoul to perform for her Korean fans, requested that all her concert proceeds be used to help the victims of the ferry accident.

“We were shocked to hear about the accident, and we thought about ways in which we could help,” Talbot said at a press conference on Tuesday. “We decided to donate all proceeds to help in a way that we can.”

Han Hee-jun, who made it to the top eight in the third season of K-pop Star, a televised audition program, contributed 10 million won of his performance fees to those still suffering through his agency in the United States. He canceled his fan meeting as well.

Other stars are expressing their grief in other ways. Songwriter Yoon Il-sang dedicated his most recent piece to the victims and shared with the public his requiem on Wednesday through Twitter.

Other stars, including Girls’ Generation’s Soo-young and Kim Jae-joong of JYJ have changed their profile pictures to reflect the yellow ribbon, which represents the country’s grief for the victims and hope for the missing.