Salvation Army kettles bring in record 5b won

South Korea’s Salvation Army brought in more than 5 billion won ($4.6 million) with its annual red kettle campaign this year, an all-time high despite global economic difficulties, the charity said on Wednesday.

The Salvation Army Korea Territory said it has collected 5.018 billion won in its street campaign that closed on Christmas Eve.

The amount is the highest since the local charity pot campaign began in 1928.

Although the street collection is over, the charity will continue to receive donations until Jan. 31. The charity says the final tally is expected to reach 5.2 billion won, passing the 5 billion won goal for the 2012 campaign.

“We will do our best to use the shared love for activities to give hope to our economically difficult neighbors and save lives,” Park Man-hee, Korea’s territorial commander and commissioner of the Salvation Army said. (Yonhap News)