Actor Bae Yong-joon donates W3 bil. to Yonsei University Health System

By Baek Byung-yeul

Actor Bae Yong-joon donated 3 billion won ($2.08 million) to Yonsei University Health System to contribute to the treatment of low-income youth and infants.

Yonsei University Health System said Sunday that Bae donated 3 billion won for the development of the medical center. The 52-year-old actor’s donation was first announced through the medical institution’s newsletter published in December.

Bae expressed his hope that this donation would help treat many people.

“Despite the difficult situation in the medical community, I decided to donate in the hope that the medical institution will continue to develop and grow into an institution that leads future medicine,” Bae said.

"I hope that the donation will be used as a foundation for the future of the medical institution and contribute to creating a healthy world for everyone, including low-income youth and infants."

Yonsei University Health System plans to use the donation in line with Bae's wishes.

Yonsei University Health System consists of hospitals affiliated with Yonsei University College of Medicine and operates the College of Medicine, College of Dentistry and College of Nursing. Severance Hospital, a part of the health system, has locations in Seodaemun District and Gangnam District in Seoul, and in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Debuting in 1994, Bae has appeared in numerous hit dramas, including the 2002 KBS TV drama "Winter Sonata," which gained huge popularity, especially in Japan. He married singer Park Soo-jin in 2015 and has a son and a daughter. The couple has been reported to have been living in Hawaii since 2022.