The Consulate General for The Republic of Korea in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, today pledged $2 Million for Korea’s favorite vacation destination, the Island of Maui.
This is the first pledge of support from a foreign government to assist the people of Maui in fighting the fires and dealing with the aftermath of the devastating catastrophe that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, a favorite among Korean visitors.
1.5 Million Dollars will be made available in cash $500,000 is for the purchase of drinking water, food blankets, and other supplies from local Korean markets in Hawaii, so it can be made available to the Hawaii State government for distribution.
The South Korean Government explained in a news statement that the assistance is expected to help the Hawaii state government swiftly handle the aftermath of the disaster and allow Hawaii residents to return to their daily lives, as well as contribute to deepening friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
In the release, the South Korean Consulate said the aid carries “particular significance” as Hawaii is the place where Korean immigration to the United States began in 1903.
The first Koreans came to Hawaii to work the plantations, but the islands would in time become a destination for Korean revolutionaries fleeing Imperial Japan’s occupation of the Korean Peninsula and a hotbed for the Korean independence movement.
One of those exiled revolutionaries, Syngman Rhee, would return after World War II to become the Republic of Korea’s controversial first President.
