K-pop star Lee Hyori has released a smartphone application to raise cash for abandoned pets in Korea. The animal-lover released a calendar in December featuring black and white shots of her with her pet dog Sunshim. The new app, which is available to iPhone users in Korea and around the world, costs $3.99 and allows users to view the calendar pictures as well as exclusive unseen shots. All proceeds from the app and the 2012 calendar will go to support the Korean Animal Welfare Association, which

Belly dancers in Korea are helping Balinese mothers to give birth safely thanks to fund-raising performances in Seoul. Eshe the belly dancer is hosting the “Blessings” belly dance nights in Hongdae to donate a percentage of takings to help fund community health centers on the Indonesian islands of Bali and Aceh. Together, the two health centers run by the Bumi Sehat Foundation International charity provide more than 17,000 consultations annually for children and adults, also helping 600 women to

Volunteers from the Yeoksam Global Village Center will visit a Seoul hospital on Jan. 14. The group will visit St. Mary’s Hospital from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to help prepare medical kits, clean hospital facilities and to spend time with young patients. Those with an interest in music, magic, arts or other recreational activities are especially encouraged to join the trip to the Gangnam hospital.Those who would like to participate may send an email to yeoksam@sba.seoul.kr including their name, natio

Giant helium balloons have been sented to promote peace in North Korea this winter.And the launchers are seeking volunteers to help send off more of the balloons to carry socks to people in North Korea in future. The new North Korea Peace organization held its third official balloon launch on Dec. 24 near the DMZ in spite of initial doubts following the death of Kim Jong-il. The group decided to launch about 800 pairs of socks using four giant balloons to benefit people in the North after checki

Student volunteers volunteer flew to Vietnam on Christmas Day to help with a charity home-building project in the Southeast Asian country. About 100 university students joined the “Beyond POSCO Corps” group to fly out from Incheon Airport to take part in the 12-day Habitat for Humanity Korea project. A previous POSCO-sponsored project last year saw students renovate old houses in Indonesia. A total of 400 students have become POSCO Corps since 2007 and they have traveled to Thailand, India and I

Hard-working teen first in his orphanage to win place at top universityGetting ahead in Korea’s highly competitive education system can be challenging for any student. Many complain from an early age about their parents’ demands for top grades at school and the obligatory evening classes to give them the edge in the all-important college entry exams. But high school senior Jin-dong was not lucky enough to have parents pressuring him, or the chance to go to college preparatory academies after sch

A Christmas bash in Bucheon is to raise cash for Korean orphans on Friday night. The event at the Park bar in Jung-dong, Bucheon, will see gifts and cash collected for various orphanages in Gyeonggi Province. Various Itaewon restaurants have donated prizes to a raffle and several musical acts will provide entertainment throughout the night. Attendees are invited to bring wrapped gifts bearing labels saying what age and gender of child they are suitable for, or to give cash donations.Highway 9 wi

Global Fund photos show how treatment can beat worldwide epidemicA photographic exhibition in Seoul aims to demonstrate the value of HIV/AIDS treatment, and encourage more funding from the Korean government to fight the virus globally. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria has teamed up with Magnum Photos to focus on people living with HIV/AIDS around the world and to show how treatment programs can help them. Eight photographers followed HIV patients receiving treatment through Global

Expat volunteers from across the globe have shared the spirit of Christmas with Korean children by dressing up as Santa and handing out gifts.Mannam Volunteer Association brought together volunteers from 13 different countries to spend quality time at Gyeong Dong Won orphanage in Suwon on Saturday. People from South Africa, Hong Kong, Japan, Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Canada, Pakistan, England, Indonesia, the U.S. and the Czech Republic joined Korean Mannam members to enjoy the Christmas party