Seoul, 17 November 2013 – A Korean pop group headlined a special fund-raising street concert organized by Filipino student volunteers for victims of Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Yolanda in the Philippines) in the busy Seoul shopping district of Myeongdong last week, the Embassy of the Philippines reported to the Department on Monday.
Five-member K-Pop boyband A-Prince joined Korean and Filipino indie artists at the two-hour charity concert "Sing for the Philippines" in calling for contributions with a donation box from passersby and shoppers at Myeongdong station’s Exit 6 on a freezing evening on Friday, November 15, together with members of the Pinoy Iskolars sa Korea (PIKO).
“Through social media and other sources, we’ve seen how tremendous the casualties are. A-Prince, we’re willing to help so please cheer up and we hope you’ll gain more strength,” said lead vocalist Sung Won in a PR video he and his bandmates Seungjun, Minhyuk, Woobin and Siyoon posted online before the concert, where they performed three songs.
The concert, which was supported by the Migliore shopping mall, CGV Myeongdong and Uniqlo, started off at 6pm with the eponymous acoustic unit, led the 2011 K-Pop Star reality show contestant and session artist Eddie Chun. Filipino professional singers Clint Aimefco, Camille Lucero, Loverly Samson and Mhel later took turns playing the odd set until 8pm.
In two screens nearby, a 45-second loop video about the devastation wrought by the typhoon that played all day reinforced the appeal of the Filipino and Korean volunteers. “This concert is a testament that no matter who we are and where we are from, we are one in praying and hoping for the Philippines,” said PIKO President Eva Marie Wang.
“It was great to do help out and raise money for a good cause. The staff were absolutely amazing and passionate for this event and I was blessed to be part of it,” Eddie Chun, a regular of the bohemian Hongdae district, wrote in his Facebook page about his more than one-hour performance in cold weather.
Thanks to the high-spirited efforts of the artists, joined by Seoul-based theater actress Cherish Maningat as concert emcee and the members of the Filipino Photographers in South Korea (FILIPOS), PIKO managed to add a quick 1,326,140KRW (US$1,248) – more than a third of the total thus far collected by the student group throughout Korea – to their overall fund-drive.
“The funny thing is, this fund-raising initiative started as a street caroling idea – but it grew into an event bigger than we could have imagined,” said PIKO’s Eva Wang, who marveled at the “domino effect” and “serendipity” of the collective volunteering spirit of the participants. ”It was literally a 48 hour planning and coordination in the midst of the busy work week. Thank God we pulled this off.”
All donations collected from the event will be donated to the Philippine Red Cross and Philippine-based nonprofit organization ASHDA (Association of Social and Health Development Advocates).
- END -
