아시아 11/01/06 Korean Salvation Army nets US$3.7 million - By Stephen Hong, Seoul

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Korean Salvation Army nets US$3.7 million

Published Date: January 6, 2011

By Stephen Hong, Seoul

Korean volunteers collecting donations during the Salvation Army’s annual campaign

The Salvation Army in South Korea, despite a worsening political scenario, has received millions of dollars in donations this year.

It announced today that it collected 4.2 billion won (US$3.7 million) from its 300 now familiar red charity kettles placed in 76 cities in the country from Dec. 1 to 31 last year.

The Christian organization has been collecting Christmas donations since its red kettles first appeared in the country in 1928.

“Thanks to small donations from ordinary people, we have achieved our goal,” said Hong Bong-sik, public relationship secretary of the Salvation Army.

He said problems such as North Korea’s artillery attack, corruption scandals implicating social welfare groups in the country and severe cold weather did not affect the campaign.

Despite hard times and religious difference, 40,000 volunteers helped in the campaign, he said.

They also found a donated gold baby ring with a message reading “From my beautiful angel now in heaven!” a day before Christmas.

The Salvation Army during the campaign introduced a smart phone application for receiving donations which they say will be spent on poor people, disaster victims and patients with serious diseases.

The Salvation Army, one of the world´s largest charitable and service organizations, supports the needy without discrimination. Founded in 1865 in London by William and Catherine Booth, it now operates in over 100 countries.