By Park Si-soo
South Korea's 32 top stars have joined an online fundraising event to help a NGO dedicated to protecting children's rights.
The stars include actor Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hye-jin, Lee Kwang-soo, actress Song Hye-gyo, K-pop girl band AOA's Seolhyun and EXO. They have donated personal items such as shoes, shirts and accessories, which are on display on a website built by Gmarket, Korea's largest e-commerce operator.
The “Give Love” event will continue through 10 a.m. (local time) Jan. 23, during which those who buy an application ticket (price: 1,000 won) can bid for their favorite item. Who gets the items will be decided through a computer-based lottery, with the winners' names to be posted on the Gmarket Global Shop's website at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25.
All proceeds will be donated to Save the Children.
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, a sweater of EXO's Suho has collected 698,000 won, the most so far, meaning 698 people are vying for the item.
“It is very meaningful that Gmarket's Global Shop has participated in the event where a lot of Korean celebrities are participating with the entire proceeds going to protect children's rights,” said Moon Ji-young, head of the eBay Korea's Global Business Department.
“As a leading Korean company, we will continue to support various activities in which not only Koreans but also foreigners can participate.”