BTS's J-Hope Gives $207,000 to Sick Children and Scholarship Students on His 32nd Birthday
The rapper split 300 million won between Seoul Asan Medical Center's pediatric ward and ChildFund Korea - pushing his lifetime giving to the hospital past the half-billion-won mark.
Jung Ho-seok turned 32 on Wednesday by writing two checks. The BTS rapper, known professionally as J-Hope, donated 200 million won ($138,000) to the children's hospital at Seoul Asan Medical Center and another 100 million won ($69,000) to ChildFund Korea - 300 million won in total, all of it on his birthday.
Asan Medical Center confirmed the gift will fund facility upgrades for pediatric and adolescent patients, home care support for critically ill children, and psychological recovery programs. The ChildFund Korea contribution is earmarked as scholarships for financially struggling students at Gwangju International High School and Jeonnam Girls' Commercial High School, both in J-Hope's hometown of Gwangju - a practice he began in 2019.
Wednesday's donation brings J-Hope's cumulative giving to Asan Medical Center to 500 million won. He made his first contribution there in 2022 with 100 million won and has returned every year since. The 100 million won to ChildFund Korea also qualified him as the 14th member of the organization's "Green Noble Trinity Club," reserved for donors whose lifetime contributions to the group exceed 1 billion won.
J-Hope completed 18 months of mandatory South Korean military service and was discharged in October 2024. He then launched his first solo world tour, "Hope on the Stage," which opened at Seoul's KSPO Dome in early 2025. His BTS bandmates, all of whom have now completed or are nearing the end of their military obligations, are expected to reunite for group activities in 2026.
