Late Jeju April 3 victim's family member becomes 4,000th Honor Society member of Community Chest of Korea

The Community Chest of Korea's Honor Society has welcomed its 4,000th member 19 years after its founding — and the milestone carries special weight, as the honoree is a bereaved family member of a victim of the Jeju April 3 Incident.

The Community Chest of Korea announced Monday that the late Kim Eul-saeng, a bereaved family member of a Jeju April 3 Incident victim, has been enrolled as a special member of the Honor Society, becoming the 4,000th member nationwide.

The Honor Society is a group of major individual donors who have either contributed 100 million won ($72,300) or more, or pledged to do so within five years.

Kim had donated 26 million won during her lifetime and received 50 million won in April 3 compensation payments. Her son, Kim Chun-bo, an existing Honor Society member, contributed an additional 24 million won to bring the total to 100 million won.

Kim Chun-bo had already joined the Honor Society in 2014 as the 708th member nationwide after donating 200 million won he had saved over a lifetime of farming. "It is deeply meaningful to be able to leave behind my mother's lifelong pain from the April 3 Incident, along with our family's wishes, as a gift for those in need," he said. "I hope this act of giving, begun in my mother's name, will reach more people with warmth."

The Honor Society — South Korea's first and largest association of major individual donors — reached its 4,000th member Monday, 19 years after its launch in December 2007.

The group surpassed 1,000 members in 2015, 2,000 in 2018 and 3,000 in 2022. Cumulative donations through the Honor Society now stand at 449.5 billion won.

Participation has expanded beyond business executives and entertainers to include office workers, security guards and the self-employed. The "Family Honor" category — in which couples, families and children give together — now counts 1,109 members, reflecting a growing culture of philanthropy that extends across generations.

"We are deeply honored to welcome such a special donor at this historic moment of the 4,000th Honor Society membership," said Community Chest of Korea Chairman Yoon Yeo-jun. "We will continue working to ensure the Honor Society remains a leading donor community that drives a culture of giving in our society, encouraging more people to participate and spreading the value of sharing across generations."