Support for Gyeongju

[Anchor Lead]

Support of all kinds from across the nationwide is pouring into the city of Gyeongju after it was shaken up by Monday’s earthquake. We’ll take you there in our next story.

[Pkg]

Tile layers repair a stone wall damaged by the earthquake. Some 40 people have arrived in Gyeongju as volunteers to help out restoration efforts. Thanks to them, damaged cultural relics in the quake-hit historical city are being restored one after another.

[Soundbite] Lee Sun-woo(Tile layer) : "Coming here I see the damage is serious. We're doing the best we can to be of help."

There are other types of volunteers as well who are holding hands here with the affected locals to provide psychological counseling. They also use methods of acupressure and art therapy to help residents find stability and peace of mind.

[Soundbite] Cheon Hye-yeong(Psychotherapist Volunteer) : "It's rewarding to know that I can give them satisfaction through laughter and clapping remedies. It's grateful to see them really happy."

Donations of roof tiles are also flooding in to be used to restore the traditional Korean style "hanok" homes in Gyeongju. Already, 77-thousand roof tiles have been donated to the Gyeongju Hanok Village by individuals and organizations. Monetary donations are also pouring in. Tobacco firm KT&G has offered over 453-thousand dollars for the restoration of cultural assets.

[Soundbite] Choi Yang-sik(Mayor of Gyeongju) : "There has been tremendous help for Gyeongju citizens severely affected by the quakes."

With generous assistance of various kinds arriving fast, post-quake recovery efforts are picking up speed in Gyeongju.