A bazaar for the Korean Red Cross was held on 31 October at the COEX

Organised by the Special Advisory Committee on Women's Service of the Korean Red Cross

A bazaar for the Korean Red Cross was held on 31 October at the COEX Korea Exhibition Centre in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. '

Wives of State Councilors and wives of diplomatic missions to Korea participated in the Red Cross Bazaar to support various relief efforts, selling oysters and shrimp, as well as various household goods and food items that they brought with them, and donated the proceeds of over KRW 100 million to the Red Cross.

The Red Cross Bazaar began in 1984 and is now in its 40th year. It is a great opportunity for the public to browse through a wide range of goods and make bargains. The crowds, who had been waiting for a year, were excited about the long queues even before the event opened at 10am.

Organised by the Special Advisory Committee for Women's Service of the Korean Red Cross, the bazaar was attended by wives of government ministers, deputy ministers, heads of financial institutions and heads of government investment institutions.

Organised by the Korean Red Cross, the '2023 Korean Red Cross. At the bazaar, various products such as clothing, accessories, cosmetics, and home appliances are sold at affordable prices, and all proceeds are used to help families in crisis and the vulnerable. The Red Cross Bazaar is organised by the Special Advisory Committee for Women's Service at the Headquarters of the Korean Red Cross (Chairperson Chung Chae-young), and 59 sales booths were set up by the Demand Volunteer Society, which consists of the wives of government ministers, vice ministers, heads of financial institutions and heads of public institutions, as well as corporate contributions.

The wives of diplomatic ambassadors from 14 countries also sold traditional folk crafts and traditional foods from their respective countries.

Mrs Kim Gun-hee, wife of President Yoon Seok-yul, attended the 2023 Red Cross Bazaar event at COEX in Seoul on 31 March.

According to the presidential office, the Red Cross has been inviting the president's wife, who is the honorary president, to attend events such as the Red Cross Bazaar and the making of love gifts.

Kim, who was dressed in black formal trousers and a maroon jacket, wore a key ring with the phrase "Hip Korea" on her handbag.

Kim attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the start of the bazaar, congratulating the Red Cross on the 40th anniversary of the event, and then visited several bazaar booths.

In particular, she visited booths selling folk crafts and specialities from around the world, as well as booths selling recyclables (unused and second-hand products).

Mrs Kim asked in English, "Can I buy this" while purchasing Colombian beans, or "I'll buy the whole thing" for Brazilian beans and wine, and even took cash out of her cotton purse to pay for them.

"You were here last year, too," said one of the vendors when she spotted her.

She also touched a black leather jacket for women and a brown leather jacket for men at a booth, saying, "The president is so big, it's easy to get a bad fit."

Kim thanked the visitors and donated "bye-bye plastic" eco-bags for them to carry their purchases.

The bazaar, which was launched in 1984, sells a variety of products donated by the Korean Red Cross and corporate social contributions, and the proceeds will be used to support the vulnerable and provide disaster relief.

The Korean Red Cross was established on 27 October 1905 by Emperor Gojong's decree (No. 47).

However

the Korean Red Cross was abolished by Japan after the Treaty of Eulsa in November 1905.

In 1919, the Korean Red Cross was revived under the Shanghai Provisional Government,

It supported the independence movement by raising funds for the independence army and provided relief to compatriots.

During the Korean War in 1950, it provided relief to millions of evacuees and healed the wounds of war.

During the April 19 Revolution in 1960 and the May 18 Democratic Movement in 1980, we donated blood to save lives.

We dispatched relief workers and volunteers to the sites of the Seongsu Bridge collapse (1994) and the Sampung Department Store collapse (1995),

and carried out emergency relief activities

Pohang earthquake (2017), forest fires in Gangwon Province (2019), and COVID-19 response (2020).

We are committed to protecting the lives and safety of the people.

Sponsored by the First Lady of the Republic of Korea as an honorary chairperson, the fundraising through inexpensive products from large and medium-sized enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises has been expanding its scope of activities every year with the participation of all citizens, leading to support for the vulnerable in society.

We look forward to a better Red Cross Bazaar next year.