“Lovely Runner” actor Byeon Woo-seok donated 300 million won ($217,000) to Severance Hospital last month to help fund treatments for pediatric patients, reports said Tuesday.

The actor kept his donation private, but it was later revealed in a report by local news outlet Edaily.


"The donation was made personally by the actor,” his agency Varo Entertainment told reporters.

It was also reported that the agency later found out about the actor’s good deed after the donation was made.

The hospital also showed gratitude, saying to Edaily, “Thanks to the large donation, many pediatric patients will now have the opportunity to receive treatment.”

Byeon, who first debuted as a model in 2010, kicked off his acting career in 2016 with the tvN drama “Dear My Friends” (2016). He took on his first lead role this year as Seon-jae in tvN’s romantic comedy series “Lovely Runner,” which finished in May.

Ever since the series ended, the actor rose to stardom both in Korea and globally. The actor went on an Asian tour this year to meet his Korean and international fans, stopping at countries like Thailand and Singapore.

Byeon was also named the Brand Ambassador of the Italian luxury house Prada on Monday.



BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]