KUALA LUMPUR: Many South Korean celebrities own buildings which get rented out. And some have shown a lot of heart by reducing the rental rates in light of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak which has been affecting people’s livelihoods.
According to Soompi, popular singer-songwriter and actor, Rain, had reduced the rent by 50 per cent for the month of March for his building in the Cheongdam neighbourhood of Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district.
His wife, Kim Tae Hee who is also a well-known actress, followed suit by cutting the rent to half for her own building in the Yeoksam neighbourhood of Gangnam as well.
Apparently, variety show star and former professional basketball player, Seo Jang Hoon, made a similar gesture by lowering the rent in three of his apartment buildings, located in Seoul’s Mapo district, by 10 percent for the next two months.
A representative of the star said: “As the number of people affected by Covid-19 rises, those under Seo Jang Hoon’s care have fallen on incredibly difficult times. He wanted to help out, even if it was just in a little way, and so he lowered the rent.”
Meanwhile, actor Hong Suk Chun took to Instagram to personally announce his decision to lower the rental rate for his building in the Itaewon neighbourhood of Seoul’s Yongsan district.
“Has everyone been enjoying Itaewon Class? Right now I’m in Itaewon. I’ve been thinking about how I can help support people. Right now, it’s a good thing that the cost of rent in Itaewon has dropped a lot in recent days.”
“Because a lot of people are struggling while the outbreak of Covid-19 continues to spread, I’m lowering the cost of rent for the tenants in my Itaewon building. It isn’t a lot during this difficult time, but I hope that it helps give people strength,” he said.
The TV personality then challenged other Korean celebs to carry out similar charitable gestures and added: “I hope that the Korean people find strength.”