The foundation created in honor of Kim Jonghyun, 재단법인빛이나 (“Shiny Foundation“), has finally launched!
The Shiny Foundation was initiated on October 6th, through a small opening ceremony headed by Jonghyun’s mother, Lee Eun Kyung.
In her speech, Lee Eun Kyung revealed her hopes that the foundation will not only be a valuable resource for young artists going through similar difficulties as Jonghyun did in his life, but also for those suffering through any hardship. She also stated that, although it is painful for her to hear Jonghyun’s voice playing somewhere, she is grateful that there are many who still enjoy and share his music.
Furthermore, she revealed that under the foundation, she will also be collaborating with art schools on a scholarship project aimed towards establishing a psychological counseling center for young artists who are forced to hide their struggles, large and small, during their promotions and other public activities.
Any fan of Jonghyun and SHINee will know that the late artist was very open about his feelings, and Jonghyun’s mother hopes to achieve an even larger sense of transparency between artists and their fans through this project.
Esquire Korea, who is also working on the project, shared a special animated photo of Jonghyun and stated, “Though Kim Jonghyun has left this world, his music still remains. Shiny Foundation will base operations off the royalties of the music left by Kim Jonghyun. We still remember the illustrious Kim Jonghyun, who will always shine bright.”
To keep up with future updates and information, subscribe to Shiny Foundation’s new YouTube Channel!
We at WTK congratulate Shawols, SHINee, and Jonghyun’s family and friends for the establishment of this foundation. We have high hopes that this foundation will bring us another step closer to ensuring the mental well-being and happiness for all young artists out there!
Saleha (StarlightSora) is a WTK writer who hails from Northern Virginia. She’s an avid fan of VIXX, B.A.P, EXO, BTS, SEVENTEEN (and counting). An otaku and a gamer, when she’s not writing fanfiction for one fandom or another, she can be found binge-watching anime or playing through The Last of Us for the twentieth time. She hopes to be a published writer one day—after seeing all her faves live, of course.
Media: As Credited
Trans: shineeupdates (Instagram)