HEART-WARMING DONATION AMID PANDEMIC

[Anchor Lead]

Time for a heart-warming story for those struggling amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. An elderly businessman has donated ten billion won as a scholarship for college students in need, despite the financial blow he suffered from the pandemic.

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​From plastic containers to cups and food trays Kim Yong-ho has produced kitchen supplies for 23 years. However, he has sustained huge financial damage due to the pandemic. His sales were down some 30 percent last year.

[Soundbite] KIM YONG-HO(DONOR) : "We supply to restaurants. We are hit hard when restaurants are closed."

Despite his company’s financial difficulty, Kim decided to donate ten billion won that he accumulated through personal savings and real estate. He has made donations throughout his lifetime. But he decided on the latest contribution after concluding that there is no much time left to fulfill his belief that he will die empty-handed.

[Soundbite] KIM YONG-HO(DONOR) : "Two of my friends died from COVID-19. I think that can happen to me. I cannot close my eyes when I die, if I don't contribute my posessions."

He chose the Korea Student Aid Foundation as the trustee, not only to help those in need, but because he remembered going through tough times as a young student.

[Soundbite] KIM YONG-HO(DONOR) : "I hope my donation will be used for students from low-income or multi-cultural families or with single parents."

Kim’s contribution is the largest amount an individual has made to the foundation.

[Soundbite] LEE JOUNG-WOO(CHAIRMAN, KOREA STUDENT AID FOUNDATION) : "We will use the scholarship to create a virtuous cycle in which the recipients make donations for younger generations when they grow up."

The foundation will name the scholarship after the donor and receive applications from college students starting in the second semester of this year.