Table tennis star Shin Yu-bin, Yohemity donate W50m to Nepal flood victims

South Korea's top women's table tennis player Shin Yu-bin, 22, of Korean Air, has donated 50 million won ($36,800) to children affected by flooding in Nepal, together with sports nutrition brand Yohemity.

According to the UNICEF Korea Committee on Wednesday, the donation came after Shin offered to contribute a portion of her modeling fee from Yohemity. The brand then joined the effort, pooling funds for the contribution.

The full amount will be channeled through the UNICEF Korea Committee to support emergency relief and recovery efforts for children and families in flood-hit areas of Nepal, covering clean water, sanitation, nutrition and the restoration of safe daily life.

"I hope this can be even a small source of strength for the children and families in Nepal who have lost their homes and are going through such hardship because of the flooding," Shin said through her agency. "I sincerely hope that everyone can return to a safe and normal life as soon as possible."

According to the UNICEF Korea Committee, flash floods that struck Nepal on Aug. 26 affected approximately 84,000 people across 17 municipalities in six regions. Of those, about 32,000 were children. The disaster also destroyed 50 water supply facilities and 20 schools.

Roughly four in 10 of those affected are children. With both water infrastructure and schools destroyed, restoring children's access to education has emerged as a key challenge alongside providing clean water and health support.

UNICEF is working with the Nepalese government to help restore water supply systems and is distributing drinking water, sanitation supplies, therapeutic food for malnourished children, and learning kits for students and teachers. It is also expanding psychosocial support for children and families through professional counselors.

"We will do our utmost in emergency relief efforts to ensure that support reaches children who are suffering the most from this disaster as quickly as possible," said Heo Geum-ju, secretary general of the UNICEF Korea Committee.

Meanwhile, Shin serves as an official brand model for Yohemity, promoting the positive values of sport and healthy energy to the public. Yohemity develops hydration, electrolyte and energy nutrition solutions for a range of sports environments including running and outdoor activities, and continues to pursue various community initiatives with athletes and the broader sports community.