Photos by Mark Edward Harris for KoreAm
In the wake of the recent South Korean maritime disaster, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu held an autograph signing to raise funds for the survivors and families of the victims.
Ryu made a special appearance Sunday at the Viva Los Dodgers event to help those affected by the capsized South Korean ferry Sewol, from which 87 are confirmed dead while 215 are still missing, as of 6 a.m. on April 21. He donated $100,000 of his own earlier through his HJ 99 foundation.
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“I’ve donated money and held this charity event not to show off, but to do the least I could to support the families of the missing who are still waiting for their children,” Ryu wrote in his weekly column on Korean news website Naver. “As Koreans, when you live away from your country, you’re more sensitive about what happens there. I’m sure all Koreans who live abroad will agree.”
Ryu, who left the Hanwha Eagles of his native South Korea last year to pursue his dream of playing in the major league, grew up near Danwon High School in Ansan, which had hundreds of its students on the ferry for a four-day field trip to Jeju Island.
“The route of the ferry that had those students was the same one I took when I was on the same trip for our school’s [Dongsan High School] field trip when I was in high school,” Ryu wrote. “I still remember how much fun I had at that trip when we got to the island. To think that those students went through such a disaster during a trip like that breaks my heart.”
Prior to his start in San Francisco last week, Ryu paid respects to the victims by putting a sign that read “SEWOL 4.16.14” on his locker in the Dodgers clubhouse.
He pitched a winning game against the Giants that day, and in his post-game interview, he said, “I thought if I could pitch well and win today, I might give [the Korean people] a little brighter side to think about. So that’s why I went out there and tried to do the best I could.”
The autograph signing, held Sunday just outside Dodger Stadium, was free to fans with tickets to the Dodgers’ home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. A collection container was available for the fans to donate money. Fans, many of whom were parents with their children, expressed their sadness about the incident when they met Ryu.
Other athletes of Korean descent have also been paying their respects to the South Korean ferry victims, with several LPGA players, including Michelle Wie and Inbee Park, donning black bands at the recent LOTTE Championship in Hawaii.
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