President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook invited the heads of 15 major Korean charities and their celebrity patrons to Cheong Wa Dae for a meeting today. During the event, the President delivered charitable donations to them and complimented their hard work.
President Moon pointed to the fact that Korea has joined the 30-50 club of economic powerhouses with a population of over 50 million and per capita income exceeding US$30,000. He said that even though Korea has considerable economic power as a nation, there are still many people in need who cannot sense the true scale of Korea’s per capita income.
President Moon touched on the significance of today's event by saying, "As we close this year, we all need to look back on how much attention we have paid to our neighbors. And I hope this leads to an opportunity to share and donate as much as we can."
In conclusion, President Moon said, “When we watch TV or browse the internet, there is a lot of depressing news, but I believe this describes only a small fraction of the world, not the whole. There are far more people who are warmhearted and have good intentions. Consequently, society has been able to develop. Donating and sharing make us happy, help others to their feet and plant hope.” The President asked for many more people to participate in the culture of donating and sharing.