Lee Young-ae to Pay for Repatriation of Russian Stampede Victim's Body

Actress Lee Young-ae has offered to pay for the repatriation of the body of Yuliana Pak, a young Russian woman who died in the Halloween stampede in Itaewon.

According to the Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities on Thursday, Lee heard that the 25-year-old woman's father, Artur Pak, is in financial difficulty and said she wants to help. The actress is one of advisers for the foundation.

The father, an ethnic Korean, had been struggling to come up with the US$5,000 required to transport his daughter's body back to Russia. He is not fluent in Korean and ekes out a living working in a nursing home.

The Russian Embassy in Korea promised to speed up the paperwork, and the Yongsan district office, which oversees Itaewon, also offered to help with the cost.

The government has promised the families of foreign victims W20 million in compensation and up to W15 million for funeral expenses or repatriation of the body, but it could take some time until that is disbursed (US$1=W1,424).