Charity Festival

[Anchor Lead]

With Christmas around the corner, 1,200 children dressed for the occasion gathered for a festival in Bucheon. The event's organizers plan to foster the event as a charity function that will represent the region.

[Pkg]

Children dressed in red apply beards made with cotton balls. Others dress as Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, and still more wear gift boxes decorated with the words "neighborly love." In total, 1,200 children filled a grassy square. Each child dressed up in a unique and creative Christmas costume.

[Soundbite] Jung Yoon-jung(Participant) : "I feel like Santa in this costume.I want to get my friends nice presents."

The children let loose some 1,000 balloons, with the wish that people who are in greater need this cold winter will receive lots of presents from Santa Claus. Organizers plan to improve the substance of the event to foster it into an annual festival and charity function that will represent the region.

[Soundbite] Park Soon-hee(Head of Bucheon City Child Care Association) : "The children were only used to receiving presents.The event was planned to have the children become Santa and give gifts to Bucheon residents."

The festival also gathered a large crowd in a bazaar held on one side of the venue to help children of low-income families.

[Soundbite] Lee Jeom-ja(Bucheon City Resident) : "I love the part that the event is seeking to help those children in need at the year's end."

The festival, made possible through the efforts of children, has brought warmth as the year's end approaches.