SM and JYP donate to help victims of fire on eastern coast

Logos of SM Entertainment, left,and JYP Entertainment [SM AND JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment on Tuesday donated 500 million won ($403,940) and 300 million won each to help the victims of the massive wildfires along the eastern coast of the nation, according to NGOs Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief and World Vision.

"The agency hopes that the fire is put out soon and that the affected areas be restored quickly," said SM Entertainment in a statement. "We hope that this donation can be of a little help to the victims of the fire."

JYP Entertainment said, “We hope that the victims of the fire who have suddenly lost their homes gain back the strength to live and hope,”

The organizations said that the agencies' donations will be used to support low-income families and children who have been affected by the fire.

SM and JYP Entertainment are two of the four K-pop powerhouses. SM represents successful K-pop acts such as girl group aespa and boy band NCT while JYP represents girl group ITZY and boy band Stray Kids.

Korean celebrities joining the wave of generous donations this week include entertainers Yu Jae-seok and Jeon Hyun-moo; figure skater Kim Yu-na; actors Kim Hye-soo, Song Hye-kyo, Lee Jong-suk, Park Min-young, Shin Min-a, Kim Woo-bin and Park Bo-young; and singers U-Know Yunho of boy band TVXQ and Kim Se-jeong and Doyoung of boy band NCT.

Over the weekend, actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Kim Go-eun, singers IU and Hyeri, and comedians Yoo Byung-jae and Lee Seung-yoon also donated to the same cause.

The fire began Friday morning in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang. Sweeping across 3,300 hectares of land, according to Korea Forest Service, the fire spread northward to Samcheok, a city in Gangwon Province.

Over the weekend, the fire spread over 15,000 hectares of land. Some 7,400 people were evacuated from their homes as of Sunday.

No casualties have been reported, but 512 facilities, including 343 homes, have been damaged by the wildfires. Affected areas include Uljin, Samcheok, Gangneung, Donghae, Yeongweol and Daegu's Dalseong County as of Monday.

Nearly 2,000 firefighters have been deployed to fight the fires. But with strong winds and dry weather persisting nationwide, they have failed to gain control of the blaze for a fifth consecutive day.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]