Kakao celebrates decade of donation platform

Mobile app service provider Kakao said Friday that a total of some 14.59 million users had participated in donation platform “with Kakao” in the 10 years of its operation.

In a special webpage dedicated to celebrate the 10th anniversary, Kakao said that it has collected 17.17 billion won ($15.7 million) so far, which would amount to a tower of 1,000 won bills 7.2 times taller than Seoul’s N Tower.

First introduced as the Daum fund in 2007, a user can pick and choose an online contribution project based on themes and background stories.

Outside partner organizations such as the Community Chest of Korea have been in charge of screening and evaluation for transparency.

Some 4,000 users accessed the platform daily, collecting 4.72 million won each day.

A total of 8,582 projects were held ranging from medical support to help for the underprivileged and disabled, as well as for the families of the victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking tragedy.

Of the total, 70 percent were women, with most in their 20s.

One user, whose identity was withheld, donated an accumulated 120 million won over the decade, Kakao said.

The most active time of donation was noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, it added. 

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)