Hello, this is Sokcho Eottae. At 9 a.m. on Sunday, September 27, the last day of the Chuseok holiday, Sokcho (속초) started the day at 19 degrees under clear skies. The sea is calm with a wave height of 0.4 m, and the water temperature is 22.9 degrees. Today we'd like to share a piece of news that got a little buried over the holiday. On September 22, just before the holiday, five Sokcho business organizations pooled their money and sent a donation of 10,000,000 KRW to victims of the floods in Nepal. The reason was simple: the hometowns of the Nepali people who work and live alongside us in Sokcho were underwater.
What happened in the Sokcho Mayor's office on the morning of September 22
The donation ceremony was held on the morning of September 22 in the Sokcho Mayor's office, and the 10,000,000 KRW was delivered to the Korean Red Cross Sokcho District Council (대한적십자사 속초지구협의회). The five organizations that took part in the fundraising are as follows.
- Sokcho Chamber of Commerce and Industry (속초상공회의소) (Chairman Eom Jeong-yong)
- Sokcho Marine Industrial Complex Council (속초해양산업단지협의회) (Chairman Jang Ki-ho)
- Sokcho Small Business Owners Association (속초시소상공인연합회) (Chairman Lee Kyung-soo)
- Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises and Small Business Owners, Sokcho Branch (한국소기업소상공인연합회 속초시지회) (Chairman Park Kwon)
- Korea Federation of SMEs Convergence Association, Seorak Convergence Association (중소기업융합중앙회 설악융합회) (Chairman Lee Dong-geun)
Looking at the list, many layers of Sokcho's economy are included all at once, from industrial complex companies running factories to associations of small shop owners on neighborhood streets. What stands out is that this was not a donation made separately by one organization, but organizations that usually act independently coming together for the same reason.
Eom Jeong-yong, Chairman of the Sokcho Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “For the Nepali workers who work and live together with us in Sokcho, the flood damage in their home country is surely not someone else's problem,” adding, “I hope the sincerity we gathered will help the victims recover their daily lives even a little, and that it will also reach the Nepali workers as comfort.” Sokcho Mayor Lee Byung-sun also said, “I hope this becomes a message of comfort to the Nepali workers living with us in the community that they have dependable neighbors by their side.”
What happened in Nepal, by the numbers
This flood began on the morning of August 26 this year along the Trishuli River in northern Nepal. As water pouring down from the Himalayas surged downstream, dozens of villages in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot areas were submerged. A month has passed, but the scale of the damage is still growing.
- Over 1,400 dead and over 5,600 missing (Nepal and Tibet combined, as reported by Seoul Shinmun on September 17)
- Direct damage of about 2.4 trillion KRW and reconstruction costs of about 6.3 trillion KRW (Nepali government estimate)
- About 80% of the infrastructure damage is concentrated in the energy sector, such as hydroelectric power plants and transmission lines
- With major trade routes to China cut off, some areas have seen transportation costs quadruple and deliveries delayed by more than three weeks
The numbers are so large that they may actually be hard to grasp. For comparison, Sokcho's population is just over 80,000, and the number of missing people alone is comparable to the population of an entire Sokcho neighborhood. When power plants collapse, electricity is cut off, and when roads are cut off, prices go up. That is why daily life does not recover for a while even after the flood has passed. For those working in Sokcho with family back home, they may have spent the whole holiday clutching their phones.
Why did this donation come from Sokcho, of all places?
If you look a little closely at the streets of Sokcho, you can easily meet foreign workers. People from many countries fill places that are short of hands, such as the port at dawn, factories, restaurant kitchens, and cleaning jobs at lodgings. Many of them are from Nepal. This donation is different in that the business organizations that directly employ these people or work right alongside them stepped up first. It is less about helping a faraway country and more like looking after the homes of coworkers from the same workplace.
It's not just someone else's story for tourists, either. There's a good chance their hands have touched the plate of raw fish you eat in Sokcho today and the clean bedding at the place you're staying. That is also why Sokcho Eottae chose to bring this news up again on the last day of the holiday.
If you want to contribute too, here's how to take part until November 30
The Korean Red Cross is running a nationwide fundraising campaign with a total goal of 10 billion KRW for emergency relief and recovery for victims of the great flood in Nepal. The fundraising period runs until November 30. There are three ways to take part.
- Dedicated account: 우리은행 (Woori Bank) 1005-902-638427 (account holder: Korean Red Cross)
- Korean Red Cross website: online donation
- 네이버 해피빈 (Naver Happybean): you can take part with beans (Happybean donation credits) or a small payment
The money raised will be used to deploy emergency relief supplies stockpiled locally in advance, such as blankets, tarpaulins, and hygiene kits, and to restore the affected areas. We've also put together a few tips that may help when you actually take part.
- When making a bank transfer, enter your name accurately as the depositor name. Identity verification is required if you want to receive a donation receipt later. How to get a receipt is explained on the Red Cross website.
- Participation matters more than the amount. Happybean lets you take part with a small amount, so it's also good to try with your children.
- Watch out for text messages and phone calls impersonating donation campaigns. After a major disaster, fake fundraising links sometimes circulate. It's safer to go directly to the official account above or the Red Cross website.
- If you want to raise money as a company or group, you can also deliver it through a regional council of the Korean Red Cross, as the Sokcho business organizations did this time.
On the last day of the holiday, check today's situation in Sokcho too
Here's a short summary of the current situation for those leaving Sokcho today or heading out into town.
- Weather: 19 degrees and clear at 9 a.m., high of 24 degrees. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration forecast, the Gangwon region will be mostly clear, with clouds occasionally increasing in the afternoon. However, the data collected by Sokcho Eottae shows a 92% chance of precipitation, which is a big difference. If you have plans to go out or hike in the afternoon, you'll feel more at ease bringing a small umbrella.
- Sea: Calm, with a wave height of 0.4 m and a water temperature of 22.9 degrees. The beaches have already closed for the season and there are no lifeguards, so just enjoy dipping your feet.
- Crowds: 학사평 콩꽃마을 순두부촌 (Haksapyeong Kongkkot Village Sundubu Village), 금호리조트 설악 (Kumho Resort Seorak), Joyang-dong Historic Site (조양동 유적), Seoraksan Native Plant Garden (설악산 자생식물원), Hakmujeong Pavilion (학무정), and the Abai Village (아바이마을) Gaetbae ferry are all “very crowded.” The sundubu village is at its busiest with the breakfast crowd right now, so go a little later or allow plenty of time for waiting.
- Roads: Traffic is slow on all three roads: Misiryeong-ro (미시령로) (toward Seoul), Donghae-daero (동해대로) (coast and downtown), and Seoraksan-ro (설악산로) (toward Seorak). If you're heading home, remember that you must get on the expressway before midnight tonight to receive the Chuseok toll exemption.
In summary
- On September 22, five Sokcho business organizations delivered a 10,000,000 KRW donation for Nepal flood victims to the Korean Red Cross Sokcho District Council
- The Nepal floods that began on August 26 have left over 1,400 dead and over 5,600 missing, with reconstruction costs estimated at about 6.3 trillion KRW
- Individuals can take part until November 30 via 우리은행 (Woori Bank) 1005-902-638427 (Korean Red Cross), the Red Cross website, or Naver Happybean
- Sokcho is clear today and the sea is calm, but 6 major tourist spots are very crowded and traffic is slow on 3 access roads
Today we looked at the donation Sokcho business organizations raised for our Nepali neighbors who work with us in Sokcho and for their hometowns, as well as the ways we can contribute. Did you find it helpful? To those heading home on the last day of the holiday, have a safe trip, and to those in Sokcho, we hope you get ready well for daily life starting again tomorrow. We'll be back next time with even more useful information.
