Actress Lee Young Ae has a long history of helping others. Her most recent charitable effort was donating $340,000 for a music concert that was given for non-commissioned officers in the Korean military. The Love Music Concert for Korean Non-Commissioned Officers - The Heroes event was held on November 13 at the Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul.
According to the Korean media outlet JoongAng Daily, about 4,000 officers and their families attended the concert.
The Non-Commissioned Officer's Academy released the news of her donation on the day of the concert. Lee does not usually publicize her donations.
"Lee fully sponsored the concert knowing that it would be held to commemorate war veterans who sacrificed themselves for the country," said a press release written by the academy.
Lee said that she planned the concert because non-commissioned officers do not have the same advantages as commissioned officers even though they face the same risks and hardships.
As the daughter of a Korean war veteran, Lee has taken a special interest in the needs of disadvantaged military personnel. She donated $40,000 to two soldiers maimed by North Korean mines. The 44-year-old actress also tried to keep that donation a secret but the news leaked out.
Soldiers are not the only recipients of the actress' generosity. She has donated money to support young North Korean defectors, who often find it difficult to adjust to life in South Korea.
The actress, who is famous for her role in the international hit drama "Dae Jang Geum," has worked with the Korean National Commission for Unesco and won a Taiwanese award for privately funding the treatment of a Taiwanese baby born prematurely in Korea.
Although Lee Young Ae has not acted in over a decade, she can soon be seen in the historical drama "Shin Saimdang: The Herstory," playing the title role. Shin Saimdang lived in the 16th century and was a famous artist, writer, calligrapher and the mother of Confucian scholar Yulgok.
Filming for the drama, which also stars Song Seung Hoon, started in August. The drama is expected to air in early 2016.
