Actress Lee Young Ae was recently thanked for saving the life of a Taiwanese baby girl.
The actress, who is well known for her role in the Hallyu hit drama "Jewel in the Palace," donated the money to pay for the life-saving surgeries performed on a newborn.
According to the online news source, Zhongguo Taiwanwang, the actress donated about $150,000 to cover the cost of the surgery. The surgery was needed after the mother fell during a trip to Seoul and went into premature labor. The baby was born weighing less than three pounds. The infant received two surgeries in four months, one for a biliary obstruction and another for a liver ailment.
The parents did not have the money to pay for the surgeries but it is not known how Lee Young Ae became involved. She donated to a private fundraising event that was set up by Korea's Taiwanese community to pay for the surgery. The actress tried to keep her donation a secret but when she visited the parents, hospital employees quickly spread the word.
"At first, Lee wanted to help them secretly but she disclosed her identity when the baby's mother repeatedly asked for a chance to thank the person who helped her," said a representative of Lee's agency Storm S. "The mother cried when she met Lee."
Both parents are fans of South Korean pop culture and that's why they were in Seoul when the accident happened. The couple and their baby returned to Taiwan on June 30th.
The Taiwanese press reported on Lee Young Ae's good deeds because she is one of the most popular Korean TV stars in Taiwan. "Jewel in The Palace" has been on Taiwanese television 14 times in the past 11 years.
According to Yonhap News, the baby's mother praised the actress for her kindness and friendliness, saying she never imagined a situation like this happening to her. She said Lee Young Ae even invited the family to visit her home.
Lee Young Ae was also recently in the news because she considered whether to play a part in a proposed sequel to her popular drama, which was shown in 2003 and 2004.
"Jewel in the Palace," also known as "Dae Jang Geum," was the story of a kitchen cook, who became a Joseon-era king's first female physician. The drama had ratings of 57.8 percent with an average viewership rating of 46.3 percent. It was the 10th highest rated k-drama of all time and became one of the most successful Hallyu exports worldwide. Because of the drama's international success, Lee Young Ae received a medal or cultural merit.
The proposed remake would have featured her as an older version of her character, and also feature a daughter, who followed her mother's path as a physician. But eventually Lee Young Ae decided against taking part and the producers did not want to make the drama without her.
The actress has spent the last few years taking care of her family. She married a Korean-American businessman in 2009 and gave birth to twins in 2011. Since her marriage she has only filmed commercials and appeared in one film, "Made in California."
