aespa member Ningning has donated 20 million KRW (about $13,500) to support elderly people living alone in Seoul as the city continues to face dangerous summer heat. Her donation will help provide cooling items and healthy meals for seniors who are most at risk during the ongoing heatwave.
On July 15, the Seoul Branch of the Korean Red Cross announced that it will begin its Summer Heatwave Relief Support Project using Ningning’s donation. The program has a total budget of about 27 million KRW (around $18,200) and aims to reduce the risk of heat-related illness during a season marked by high temperatures and tropical nights. The project will help 600 single-person elderly households enrolled in the Seoul Branch’s “Warmth for Every Home” outreach program, AllKPop reported.
The program supports seniors who are considered at risk of dying alone and need regular community care.
Ningning Supports Korean Red Cross
Each household will receive a portable neck cooling fan to help lower body temperature.
According to MaeilBusiness, they will also receive three ready-to-eat, nutritious meals: samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), galbitang (beef short rib soup), and doganitang (ox knee cartilage soup). These meals were chosen to help older adults stay healthy and keep up their strength during the hot summer months.
Instead of sending the supplies through regular delivery services, the Korean Red Cross will take a more personal approach. Volunteers who know their local neighborhoods will visit each home twice before the end of the month. During each visit, they will hand over the relief items, check on the seniors’ health and living conditions, and share simple safety tips for dealing with extreme heat.
Park Myung Sook, chair of the Seoul Council of Red Cross Volunteers, thanked the singer for her support.
“We sincerely thank Ningning for her generous support. Together with our volunteers, we will do our utmost to ensure her kindness reaches those who need it most,” Park said.
Ningning’s donation came from a promise she made after appearing on the YouTube variety show “Nothing Much Prepared” in May. During a drinking word-chain game with host Lee Young Ji, she pledged to donate 20 million KRW to the Korean Red Cross.