IU Has Donated Almost 1 Billion Won In 2020 Alone
After making a sizable donation to Child Fund Korea this month, star soloist and charity angel IU has now donated almost ₩1.00 billion KRW (about $903,000 USD) in 2020 alone.
IU began her year of abundant donations back at the end February when she made two donations to charity organizations fighting COVID-19. She sent ₩100 million KRW (about $90,300 USD) to Good Neighbors, and a further ₩100 million KRW (about $90,300 USD) to the Korea Medical Association.
The next month, she made three donations to various districts in South Korea. Seocho and Gwacheon received ₩30.0 million KRW (about $27,100 USD) each to purchase illness preventatives like hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and masks. Yangpyeong, meanwhile, received ₩35.0 million KRW (about $31,600 USD) from IU to split between welfare facilities for infants and facilities for people with disabilities.
By March, IU’s total donations to COVID-19 relief reached ₩315 million KRW (about $285,000 USD). Her next public donation came in May, when she sent ₩100 million KRW (about $90,300 USD) to the Green Umbrella Child Fund for Children’s Day in Korea.
The same month, she also donated a further ₩10.0 million KRW (about $9,030 USD) to Gwacheon to help people with low incomes who were suffering because of the pandemic.
Then, she celebrated her birthday on May 16 by donating ₩51.6 million KRW (about $46,600 USD) to the Green Umbrella Child Fund and Walking with Us Children’s Foundation—a donation generously matched by her fan club, UAENA.
In August, after South Korea was afflicted by heavy rains, IU donated ₩100 million KRW (about $90,300 USD) to Hope Bridge for flood relief efforts and victim support. It was soon reported that IU made the donation under her legal name, Lee Jieun, without notifying her agency at all.
Later that month, she provided the Korea Nurses Association with 4,600 ice vests to combat the sweltering heat as they fought the pandemic. The vests were working ₩100 million KRW (about $90,300 USD) in total. Even President Moon Jae In was impressed, publicly applauding IU for her thoughtfulness.
In September, it was reported that IU’s total donations for 2020 had already reached ₩735 million KRW (about $664,000 USD) in total—and she wasn’t done yet. For her 12th debut anniversary, IU proceeded to make two donations of ₩50.0 million KRW (about $45,200 USD) each—one to Snail of Love, and one to the Korea Unwed Mothers’ Families Association.
And her latest donation came today when she sent ₩100 million KRW (about $90,300 USD) to Child Fund Korea to support students who are being raised by their grandparents and need financial support. IU herself was raised in poverty by her grandparents after her family’s financial situation deteriorated.
In total, that brings IU’s donations for 2020 up to ₩935 million KRW (about $845,000 USD)—just shy of 1 billion. Over the course of her career, IU has now donated over ₩2.50 billion KRW (about $2.26 million USD) to various institutions across South Korea. Given how generous and charitable she is, it’s no surprise she was named one of Forbes Asia‘s “Heroes of Philanthropy” in 2019.