Singer Sean, known for his continuous charitable efforts, recently shared his experience serving as the head of a foundation on the SBS PowerFM radio show ‘Bae Sung jae’s Ten’, which aired on August 2.
Sean, who has been committed to philanthropy for the past 20 years, said, “My wife Jung Hye young and I started donating 10,000 won per day starting the day after our wedding. We’ve continued with the intention of sharing and living happily until the end.” He revealed that his total donations have exceeded 6 billion won (approximately 4.6 million USD).
In 2011, Sean co-founded the Seungil Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization, with the late basketball coach Park Seung il, who was battling ALS. The foundation was created to fulfill Park’s dream of building the world’s first ALS-specialized nursing hospital.
Through years of fundraising efforts, the foundation raised 20.3 billion won (approximately 15.5 million USD). In December 2023, construction began on the ALS care hospital, with a budget of 23.9 billion won. The hospital was completed in March 2024. Sadly, Park passed away in September 2023 before the hospital’s opening.
Sean said, “After reading Coach Park’s book, I reached out to him and said I wanted to help make his dream come true. My wife and I donated 600 million won, and thanks to the support of over 100,000 people, the hospital was completed.”
When asked how much he earns as the foundation’s president, Sean responded, “Many people are curious. I’ve never received a salary since we established the Seungil Hope Foundation in 2011—it’s been 16 years without a single paycheck.”
Sean debuted in 1997 as part of the YG Entertainment duo Jinusean, who rose to fame with hits like ‘Tell Me’ and ‘Phone Number’.
He married actress Jung Hye young in 2004, and the couple now has four children—two sons and two daughters. Sean has been actively involved in various charitable causes, including housing support for descendants of independence fighters, photo shoot donation projects, child sponsorships at home and abroad, and coal delivery volunteer work.
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