K-pop idol fans donate 9.5 tons of rice for elderly, children

September 24, 2015
Yunho fans from around the world gathered efforts to donate 9.5 tons of rice to help low-income elderly and children in Gwangju, South Korea, this week. (Yonhap)

Yunho fans from around the world gathered efforts to donate 9.5 tons of rice to help low-income elderly and children in Gwangju, South Korea, this week. (Yonhap)

The city of Gwangju, South Korea, received a donation of 9.5 tons of rice to give to its low-income elderly and children this week, thanks to the combined efforts of fan clubs of TVXQ leader U-Know Yunho.

Fan clubs from China, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Taiwan and Peru gathered their resources to send 474 20-kilogram bags — worth an estimated $24,000 — to the city, according to the Community Chest of Korea.

The city is the K-pop idol’s home town.

The 9.5 tons was only a part of the 35.938 tons gathered in total by Yunho fans in celebration of web drama “I Order You,” for which he was a lead.

Donated rice will be distributed among five city regions, Community Chest said.

“Yunho’s love for his home city of Gwangju is well-known among us fans,” a fan who participated in the effort told Yonhap. “Fans have been sending scholarship money to Yunho’s alma mater for years.”

Yunho, 29, entered his 21-month mandatory military service in July.