Samsung said on the 28th it will donate 3 billion won in relief funds for residents in areas hit by the recent torrential rains, including Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang, and Andong and Uiseong in North Gyeongsang.
Nine affiliates are taking part in the donation: Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDS, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, and Samsung Heavy Industries. Samsung Heavy Industries joined the effort to provide funds despite suffering its own damage from the downpour.
Separately from the donation, Samsung plans to provide 1,000 emergency relief kits—consisting of blankets, tracksuits, and towels—and 300 disaster relief shelters, which are tent-type temporary housing units, to the affected areas through the Korean Red Cross.
For affected customers, Samsung Card will defer payment of card bills due from August to October for up to six months and allow the amount due to be paid in interest-free installments. It will also cut interest on card loans by up to 30%, and it decided to extend the maturity again for long-term card loans that mature by the end of October.
Since 1995, Samsung has donated a cumulative total of more than 130 billion won, including the latest contribution, for disaster recovery in Korea. In July last year, when heavy rains hit nationwide, it donated 3 billion won, and in March the same year, when wildfires struck North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, and Ulsan, it provided 3 billion won in relief funds and home appliances worth 1 billion won.