Actress Soo Ae Joins Prestigious Charity

Soo Ae is pictured beside the handprints of people who have donated W100 million or more to the Community Chest of Korea at its headquarters in Seoul on Monday.

Advertisement

Actress Soo Ae became the 200th member of the Community Chest of Korea's Honor Society on Monday after she made a donation of W100 million (US$1=W1,074). This is the minimum sum required to join the donors' club that was established in 2007.

"As a teenager, I didn't have any dreams. I just wanted to lead a stable life. I never imagined I'd become an actress, let alone whether I could be any good at it", she said, adding that pursuing her vocation represented even more of a gamble and leap of faith as she served as the main breadwinner of her impoverished family.

But her management agency suggested she give it a try for one year, providing her with a level of encouragement and support for which she said she is eternally grateful.

"That gave me an opportunity to do something with my life, and I wanted to do the same for the underprivileged. I started making small donations five years ago but felt that was not enough so I decided to join the Honor Society", she said.

"My parents were poor but they worked very hard. They gave me and my brother so much, and we never felt any lack of love. As I began to gain popularity as an actress, and made large sums of money, I wondered whether I deserved my success and wealth, and often felt sorry [for the less fortunate]", she added.

"Making donations has freed me from those feelings and self-doubts, so in a way I do this as much for my own well-being as for anyone else's".