Korean community aids Ukrainian refugees

The Washington, D.C., area Korean American community raised more than $214,000 to help Ukrainian refugees, reports Jewon Ryu of the Korea Times. The funds were handed over to the American Red Cross on April 14.

More than 2,000 Korean Americans contributed to the fundraising drive for Ukraine. Many of the donors had survived the horrors of the Korean War or are the children of survivors.

Some of those who donated included messages explaining why they want to help: “Because we can sympathize with what’s happening in Ukraine”; “because we know the terror of war”; and “because we want to help provide meals for the Ukrainian war refugees.”

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One Korean-American couple saved and donated $10 every day. A man donated $1,000 in the name of his late father. Some people donated specific amounts, such as $1,004 which pronounces the word “angel” in Korean, or $1,007 with the lucky number 7 and a wish that a war resulting in the killing of innocent people will stop.

The fundraising drive will continue, with additional funds to be delivered to the American Red Cross in May.

The DC edition of the Korea Times is published in Annandale.

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