[News] Choi Ji Woo, Bae Yong Joon & K-pop stars offer aid to Japanese disaster victims.

[News] Choi Ji Woo, Bae Yong Joon & K-pop stars offer aid to Japanese disaster victims.
Cr. - http://www.channelnewsasia.com/

Top Hallyu Star from 'Winter Sonata' offer aid to Japanese disaster victims.

Korean actress Choi Ji Woo announced Tuesday that she has donated 200 million won (S$225,000) to the South Korean Red Cross to help the victims of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan last Friday, reported Korean media.

Choi expressed that she hoped her donation can help victims rebuild their lives and return to some semblance of normalcy.

The 35-year-old actress is the latest in a long list of Korean stars who have recently come forward to offer financial help to Japanese disaster victims.

Korean superstar Bae Yong Joon, who starred opposite Choi in the hit 2002 Korean drama "Winter Sonata" which was immensely popular in Japan, had earlier donated 1 billion won (S$1.12 million) to help earthquake victims.

"My deepest sympathy and condolences to victims who lost their lives and their families," Bae said on his website late Monday. "My prayers will be with you."



Bae's protege, "Boys Over Flowers" star Kim Hyun Joong also donated 100 million won (S$112,000) while K-pop girl group Kara has pledged to donate all proceeds of their latest single "Jet Coaster Love", released in Japan last month, to help disaster victims.

Korean actor Ryu Shi Won, who is presently in Japan has announced through his Japanese management company that he had donated 100 million won (S$112,000) and will personally head into the Sendai disaster zone to help out.

"It breaks my heart to watch the enormous casualties and damage," said Ryu, who had previously played a number of concerts in Sendai.

The official death toll of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on Friday currently stands at 2,400, though some 10,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the tragic series of events.

Japan also faces a nuclear crisis after four out of the six reactors at the quake-hit nuclear Fukushima No.1 plant, situated some 250 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, threatened to go into complete meltdown.

A meltdown occurs when nuclear fuel rods melt under high temperatures, possibly creating an explosion that will spew vast amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere.

Tens of thousands of people have already been evacuated from a zone within a 20km radius of the aging plant, though Japanese authorities urged those who live within 10 km of the exclusion zone to stay indoors.