A charity thermometer set up in Gwanghwamun, Seoul by the Community Chest of Korea reads 101.2 degrees on Thursday.

The Community Chest of Korea has collected a record amount of donations in just 53 days, the charity said Thursday.

For every percent of the target amount gathered, the model thermometer set up by the charity in Gwanghwamun, Seoul rises by one degree, and it passed the 100 mark on Thursday to reach 101.2 degrees.

The annual collection drive began on Nov. 26 with a target of of W267 billion (US$1=W1,058). As of 10 a.m. Thursday it had netted W270.1 billion.

The annual charity drive started in 1999.

This time, businesses donated W208.3 billion or 77 percent of the total, followed by 61.8 billion given by private donors.

The Hyundai Motor Group donated W20 billion on the first day of the collection drive and the Samsung Group W50 billion, which was a record for a Korean company.

"We set our target around three percent higher than last year, but we still managed to surpass the target," a CCK spokesman said.