Donate to flood-hit Geoje, Tongyeong via Wegive and earn 10,000 Payco points

Wegive, a hometown love donation platform, announced Thursday it is partnering with NHN Payco to run an emergency fundraiser for flood-hit areas of Geoje and Tongyeong, offering participants 10,000 Payco points as an incentive.

The campaign runs through Oct. 31. Donors who contribute 100,000 won ($72) or more to Geoje or Tongyeong through the Payco app will receive an additional 10,000 points.

Wegive launched the emergency hometown love donation drives for Geoje and Tongyeong on Aug. 17 to help stabilize the lives of affected residents and support local recovery efforts.

Funds raised for Geoje will go toward restoring and rehabilitating areas damaged by the torrential rains, stabilizing residents' daily lives, and disaster prevention projects. Donations to Tongyeong will be used for emergency relief and recovery work.

Both campaigns have a fundraising target of 500 million won each. Donations made to local governments designated as special disaster zones within three months of the designation date qualify for an expanded tax deduction — the rate on amounts above 100,000 won rises from 16.5 percent to 33 percent.

A donor who gives 100,000 won through the Payco event can receive benefits worth up to 140,000 won in total: a full tax deduction on the 100,000 won contribution, local gift items valued at up to 30,000 won, and the 10,000 Payco points.

"We plan to keep raising awareness of conditions in affected areas and the support they need — not just immediately after a disaster, but throughout the recovery process — and to expand the ways people can participate in local recovery through hometown love donations," a Wegive official said.