Im Siwan is showing support for the people of Ukraine during these difficult times.
On March 4, Im Siwan uploaded a screenshot to his Instagram account. In the post, you can see a reservation for an apartment in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
He booked the accommodation for about a month from March 7 to April 4. He wrote a message, saying, “Hello, I just booked your hotel for a month, and of course, I won’t be visiting. I hope you and the people in Kiev will be safe.”
To those who don’t know, this has been a popular method on online forums to support Ukraine. Many netizens are paying for accommodation but not staying there so the citizens can receive economic help. Im Siwan is being praised for his kind gesture, in addition to that, PLUM A&C, his agency, shared that the actor donated 20 million won (approximately $16,435) to the Ukrainian Embassy.
Im Siwan is currently starring in the drama “Tracer.”
I understand that he has very good intentions and he is a nice guy. But from my point of view – if you want to help, it is better to donate to a designated trustworthy charity, such as Red Cross or Help the Children or other. I am sure Ukrainian Embassy can direct him. But to book apartments and leave them empty – to me it is a questionable practice. First of all, you do not know how your money is spent, to whom they go – there are a lot of intermediary agencies when you book online, there are booking fees, etc. Also – those apartments are left empty, can’t be used because they are “booked”, whereas they could have been put to a good cause. If those netizens want to donate the money – buy furniture instead, for a hospital or for those bombed maternity wards. Or else. It would have been better than just book apartments and leave them empty for a month. To me, it seems bizarre. Just my two cents.