LEE JOON GI
AND
HIS GLOBAL FANS
HEARTS OF GOLD
A HISTORY
OF
GIVING BACK
TO
SOCIETY
Thanks to Lee Joon Gi’s passionate and generous global fans, he has made news again with his varied charitable donations in the month of May. It is not easy to overlook Lee’s superstar stature and reputation as an influencer in Asia and the RoW. The multi-hyphenate has donated 100 million won and 15 tons of rice to charity, some with the help of his global fans. Lee Joon Gi, together with his fans, has a history of giving back to society which can be traced back as far as The King and the Clown in 2005 when he took South Korea and the international movie world by storm.
The news that Lee had donated 60 million won and 5 tons of rice to the Korea University Medical Centre on 23 May has whipped up a storm of ongoing interest in the print, broadcast and online media. The contributions, past and present, of the compassionate, humble and unfailingly cheerful superstar with a sunshine smile, have probably been talked and written about more than those of any other showbusiness personality.
The donation of 60 million won is paid out from his own pocket, but the 5-ton rice donation comes partly from the ‘fan rice’ or ‘rice wreaths’ contributed in his name by his global fans. The Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer, Lee Kihyeong, announced that the donations would be used to treat the less privileged domestic or foreign patients or those who are living in medically underserved areas.
Furthermore, Lee contributed another 5 tons of rice to Good Neighbours. The rice would be sent to 5 social service centres for disadvantaged people. In the past, Good Neighbours, besides having received 24 tons of rice, had also accepted sizable stocks of ramen and bottled water from Lee and his fans. Good Neighbours is an international humanitarian and developmental non-government organization (NGO) in Korea. The organization, whose focus is the well-being of all people especially children, and community development, supports projects in 35 countries.
On 6 May, Lee Joon Gi, had also generously donated 40 million won, the proceeds from the sale of the limited edition of Penegreen’s Mask Pack. As Penegreen’s brand ambassador, he had collaborated with the cosmetic brand in ‘The Green Project’. The proceeds would be used to provide aid to poor families in Korea.
Apart from these, he had also made another personal donation of 5 tons of rice to the Cheongra Cathedral of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. It is a heart-warming gesture to the poor of the Roman Catholic community.
All in all, Lee and his fan’s donations in the month of May amounted to an impressive sum of 100 million won and a substantial 15 tons of rice. Lee had humbly declared that he was happy to have been given the opportunity to share the love that he had received from many people.
Having a love for others is contagious, and Lee Joon Gi, while exerting a big influence on his fans, has helped shape the culture of social consciousness among his fellowmen. Being very much on the same wavelength, his global fans have consistently rallied to support him with their generous donations to the poor. These often come in the form of ‘fan rice’ or ‘rice wreaths’ particularly at the time of the opening of his new dramas, pop concerts or charity projects.
However, these contributions do not tell the whole story of Lee Joon Gi’s charity work. Lee’s list of contributions, which dates back to 2006, is a perfect showcase of the superstar and his fans’ generosity and compassion to those who are less fortunate. Unlike other stars, it is Lee’s inspiration and influence that is the driving force behind his fan’s contribution to the poor and disadvantaged, and not the other way round. Lee is genuinely drawn to charitable works and so, it is not hard to imagine that Lee’s heart of gold has endeared him to his legions of fans who have no hesitation in following his footsteps.
Unsurprisingly, the positive influence that Lee has exerted over his fans in the field of charity is unrivalled in Asia. If there is any true measure of a man, it is revealed by what he gives back to society and his influence on others. His global fans’ hearts of gold are a testament to the influence of the changemaker superstar. In an industry that is recently convulsed by drug scandals and misadventures of famous stars, Lee Joon Gi’s clean image, coupled with his positive societal contributions, is a breath of fresh air to South Korea and the RoW. Lee Joon Gi stands out prominently not only as South Korea’s national treasure but also a global role model for young people.
2019
23 May: Lee donated 60 million won and 5 tons of rice to the Korea University Medical Centre.
2019
Lee contributed 5 tons of rice to Good Neighbours. The rice would be sent to 5 social service centres for disadvantaged people.
2019
6 May: In conjunction with ‘The Green Project’, Lee Joon Gi donated 40 million won, the proceeds from the sale of the limited edition of Penegreen’s Mask Pack.
2019
He also donated another 5 tons of rice to the Cheongra Cathedral of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.
2019
11 April: To celebrate Lee Joon Gi’s 38th birthday his international fan clubs from 29 countries used their Global Fund Support Project (GFSP) platform to donate KRW 7,150,000 to ChildFund Korea for the families affected by the Kangwon wildfires. They called it the ‘April Santa Project’.
2019
Lee's Hong Kong fans had raised HKD 41,700 with the purpose of rebuilding schools in Nepal through 'A Drop of Life'. The project would be carried out in his name.
At the press conference for his 'Delight' Hong Kong fan concert on 9 March 2019, Lee Joon Gi was presented with an official letter, the aim of which was to publicly announce the 2019 charity project. The project was their birthday gift to him for his 38th birthday on 17 April 2019.
2019
1 January: Lee Joon Gi launched a New Year Donation Campaign ‘Just Go Love’ in collaboration with Represent, a US-based E-commerce platform. Initiated by Represent, Lee is the first Asian-born personality to work in partnership with the organization. Lee’s self-designed merchandise was sold for two weeks to raise money for those in need.
2018-2019
15 December: Lee's global fans donated fan rice when he kicked off his 2018-2019 Delight Asia Tour in Seoul on 15 December 2018.
2018
28 November: Lee Joon Gi, with other 'Green Santas', participated in a charity event held in conjunction with Mickey Mouse’s 90th birthday celebrations. The Green Umbrella Children’s Foundation hosted the Gift Wrapping event for 500 children from disadvantaged families.
2018
September: Lee agreed to grace the cover of The Big Issue, the magazine which benefits the homeless, in order to raise awareness about social issues, particularly, the homeless. The magazine, sold by homeless people, helps generate income for the vendors. It gives them a means to tackle their problems. To become a vendor, one must be homeless or ‘almost homeless’.
2018
Lee's fans from 24 countries donated HKD 96,200 in his name to 'A Drop of
Life' to build 37 underground water pumps and 37 bio-sand filters for the
poor in Cambodia. It was their gift to him for his 37th birthday.
The
countries / places involved are Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, USA,
Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Romania, The Philippines, France, Thailand, Saudi
Arabia, Macau, Taiwan, Brazil, Italy, South Korea, Azebaijan, The UK, Mexico,
Myanmar, Turkey, Puerto Rico and Russia.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ricewreathproject/photos/?ref=page_internal
2016 - 2017
In 2016-17, the superstar's fans raised funds to build 21 water cellars for the benefit of the poor in Mainland China. A total of HKD 53,760 was collected from participants in 19 countries and the money was donated to 'A Drop of Life' in Lee Joon Gi's name.
The charity project was their gift for his 36th Birthday in 2017.
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2016
December: Lee Joon Gi was involved in a child adoption campaign,
‘Letters From Angels’ to change the public’s perception about adoption. The
photographs of Lee and the other celebrities holding cute babies were
displayed in a photo exhibition.
Lee was featured in Cosmopolitan, a fashion magazine and was the cover model for Styler.
2017
THANK YOU AGAIN CONCERT
SEOUL
15 April 2017: Lee's global fans donated fan rice for his Thank You Again concert in Seoul two days before his actual birthday.
2016
2016: The donations collected in 2016 (Moon Lovers-Scarlet Heart Ryeo) were cancelled. The funds were diverted to the water cellar charity project in Mainland China.
2016 LEE JOON GI ASIA TOUR 'THANK-YOU' in SEOUL
2015
2015: Fan Rice was also donated for his drama, ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’.
2014
2014: Fan Rice for his
drama, ‘The Joseon Gunman’.
2014
15 December: Lee joined members from Hajunse, his South Korean fan
club, to deliver coal briquettes to 1,500 homes. The briquettes were for the
poor to heat up their homes in the harsh winter. It was reported that he had
even cleared up the coal specks that had littered the ground during the
delivery process. Moved by his fans’ compassionate actions, Lee treated them
to a hearty meal after that.
2013
2013: Fan Rice for his
drama, ‘Two Weeks'.
2013
11 February: Lee, together with the members of Hajunse, his South
Korean fan club, distributed coal briquettes to about 3,000 homes in Seungbuk-dong
District, Seoul for the Lunar New Year. The actor worked with 30 volunteers
for 3 hours to bring love and warmth to the disadvantaged families who had to
face the cold winter.
2012
2012: His fans donated 10 tons of 'Fan Rice' for his
drama, Arang And The Magistrate.
2010-2012
2010-2012: Lee Joon Gi enlisted in the army on 3 May 2010 and was
discharged on 16 February 2012.
2010
29 October: During his military service, Lee’s fans also
donated fan rice to support him. His fans from 8 countries, including
Mainland China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, sent a total of 5.3
tons of rice to show their support for his performance in the musical, ‘The
Voyage of Life’ at the Daejeon Arts and Culture Hall.
An official from Lee’s agency proclaimed that the contribution was ‘the
highest ever recorded for a single event’.
2009
11 February: Lee Joon Gi, Kim Ha Neul and the crew of TVN, in
collaboration with Good Neighbours, embarked on a charity project ‘Love World
for Indonesia’.
They travelled to a village on the outskirts of Jakarta and met
a family of three children. The group donated 7.5 million won, a classroom
computer and a basketball post to the school which the three children, Vicky,
Dimas and Putri attended.
2009
8 JUNE: Lee Joon Gi donated his personal belongings, which
comprised a DVD collection, a pair of sunglasses and a hat, to an auction
conducted by the Korea-Thailand Cultural Centre in Bangkok.
The proceeds went into the Tapasa Foundation, the Thai royal
family foundation, to help the poor people of Thailand. The event was
attended by 5,000 Thai fans.
2008
4 December: Despite the slump in the worldwide economy, Lee went
to the Korea Youth Protection Association Happy Community Children Center, an
outreach organization, to personally donate 100 million won, his earnings
from VOV, one of his commercials (commercial films).
The centre helped disadvantaged children, including the
children of foreign labourers by providing classes on English, Korean and
other academic subjects for them.
2008
2008: Lee’s love for
children is well-known and some of his contributions have been geared towards
children in the underprivileged and marginalised sections of the population.
He was involved in an Adoption Campaign which was held in collaboration
with Holt International Children’s services. Lee and several stars raised
awareness about the opportunity to adopt handicapped children.
Lee Joon Gi posed for several photos with Jeon Yoo Ha, a
7-month old baby with cleft lip and palate. The photos were later displayed
in a photo exhibition; they were a revelation of Lee’s character. The loving and warm way in which he held the baby and his bright smiles show his kindness and compassion.
2008
August: 17-year old Byun Soo Yong had incurable cancer and
wished to attend the Beijing Olympics to cheer for the Women Handball
team. He applied to the welfare group,
‘Make A Wish Foundation’ to be sponsored for the trip.
After hearing about his plight, Lee decided to grant his wish.
Lee Joon Gi’s fan clubs including his ‘Baidu’ club were involved in helping
the boy and his family in Beijing.
Lee sang a song with Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Raymond Lam and
other stars for the Beijing Summer Olympics.
2008
May: During the Sichuan Earthquake in which 69,000 people lost their lives, Lee, together with his Chinese fans, collected money for the victims. Lee decided to collect one thousand won notes when he learnt that his Chinese fans had launched a campaign to collect 1-yuan coins for the quake victims. The money was donated to the Red Cross.
2006
2006: It was reported that Lee donated his
bonus from his exceedingly successful South Korean movie, The King and The Clown (2005), to a
charity organization.
UPDATED: 18 JULY 2019
However, fan support for the superstar is not limited to the
contribution of fan rice, coal briquettes, bottled water or ramen. His passionate fans are known for their creativity and generosity; they purchase magazine advertising space or use bus advertising to promote his dramas, movies and projects. But, digital advertising in shopping malls and along subway stations and roads is often carried out.
They also send coffee trucks and meals (food support) for the cast and production staff.
LAWLESS LAWYER
2018
CRIMINAL MINDS KOREA
2017
NEVER SAID GOODBYE
(CHINESE MOVIE)
2016
RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER
(NORTH AMERICAN MOVIE)
2017
ARANG AND THE MAGISTRATE
2012
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