Actor Shin Min-a's quiet charitable giving tops 4 billion won
The actor’s donations over 15 years have supported burn patients, low-income children and other vulnerable groups.
Actor Shin Min-a speaks during a movie event held in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on May 26.
YONHAP
Actor Shin Min-a has reportedly donated more than 3.7 billion won ($2.7 million) over the past 15 years, according to an online post on Tuesday.
Her cumulative donations are known to have exceeded 4 billion won — when her previous and additional donations are taken into consideration.
“Large sums continued to arrive every month since 2009, and I eventually found out they were from Shin Min-a,” the post quoted an unidentified foundation representative as saying. The source initially thought “the money had been deposited by mistake.”
The source likened Shin to an “angel.”
“She asked never to publicize it and requested that the money be used to cover treatment costs for burn patients and fund study programs for children from low-income families,” the source said.
Yet the exact affiliation of the foundation representative quoted in the post has not been confirmed.
Shin’s long record of charitable giving has been documented on numerous occasions. Since 2009, Shin has supported disadvantaged children, older adults living alone and North Korean defectors through donations, while also contributing to disaster relief efforts across the country.
Burn patients facing costly medical bills have been a particular focus of Shin’s charitable giving since 2015, including through the Hallym Burn Foundation. More than 200 patients have benefited from her support.
The recently disclosed contributions bring Shin’s cumulative donations to more than 4 billion won.
Kim’s husband, actor Kim Woo-bin, has also donated more than 1.1 billion won since he began his charitable giving in 2014. Together, the couple’s cumulative donations have surpassed 5 billion won.
On their wedding day last December, the two donated a combined 300 million won to several organizations.
“I hope my support reaches those who might otherwise go without help,” Shin said in a previous interview. She also expressed hope that giving by influential people would encourage others to contribute.
Shin is set to return to the screen in the Disney+ original series “The Remarried Empress,” which will be released on Nov. 4.
BY KO SEUNG-PYO [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
