Volunteers carry coal briquettes to deliver to low-income neighbors in Seoul on Nov. 6, 2021. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The COVID-19 pandemic has made this year’s winter colder and harsher, particularly for the energy-poor households in South Korea who need to endure the winter’s cold with coal briquettes.
Coal briquette donations plunged this year, and the number of volunteers participating in coal briquette sharing activities declined primarily due to fear of coronavirus infection.
According to the Coal Briquette Bank, 4,436,000 coal briquettes were donated during the 2019 winter season (from October 2019 to March 2020) and distributed to 20,558 households.
For the 2021 winter season, however, it received only 2,077,000 coal briquettes, which were given to 13,408 households.
Due to the impact of social distancing, the number of volunteers also plunged from 17,256 in 2019 to 6,254 in 2020 and 8,348 in 2021.
The residents of Guryong Village, which is sometimes referred to as Seoul’s last shanty town, need briquettes until May and June since they are vulnerable to the cold due to old age and various diseases.
Even in the summer, they need to burn briquettes regularly to remove indoor humidity.
“Due to a shortage of volunteers, we delivered the coal briquettes by ourselves or hired delivery service providers,” an official at the Briquette Bank said.
“If the delivery cost is added, the price of a briquette increases from 800 won (US$0.66) to between 1,000 and 1,500 won. In other words, the number of coal briquettes we can share decreases.”
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
