Choi to assist blaze victims
2008-01-15 12:19
Seoul - South Korea's KJ Choi says he will donate around a third of his Sony Open prize money to families of victims of a deadly warehouse blaze in his country.
Choi announced he will donate about 300 million won ($320 000) of the $954 000 he won for his victory in Honolulu on Sunday.
"I hope that the deceased rest in peace and that their families overcome this suffering," he said in a statement carried by Yonhap news agency on Tuesday.
Forty people including 12 ethnic Korean Chinese nationals were killed in the blaze at a cold storage depot at Icheon south of Seoul on January 7. Most of the victims were daily wage earners, including many migrant workers from China.
Police believe faulty safety measures contributed to the heavy casualties. Among the 40 dead, 19 have yet to be identified.
Choi secured a three-shot victory over South African Rory Sabbatini for his seventh PGA Tour title.
He has won at least one tournament every year since 2005, becoming one of only four golfers including Tiger Woods of the US to do so.
- AFP