Trot singer Hyunsook revealed she found 38 million won (roughly $27,000 USD) hidden among her late mother’s belongings, added her own savings to make 100 million won, and donated the full amount to fund surgeries for 38 children battling leukemia at the hospital where her mother once stayed.
Hyunsook shared the story on the October 17 episode of JTBC’s variety show “Knowing Bros” (“아는 형님”), which also featured actor Lee Kye-in and singer Kim Yeon-ja. During the episode, she explained how she earned the nickname “filial daughter singer.”
Her father had dementia and her mother had suffered a stroke, and she always brought them along to her performances. “I would lay out a mat next to them and ask the audience to look after my parents while I sang,” she recalled. Their story was later featured in the documentary “People and People,” cementing the nickname.
Despite tight income in her early career, Hyunsook said she regularly gave her mother small allowances — 1,000, 2,000, or 10,000 won at a time. After her mother passed, she discovered the money untouched, tucked inside a blanket along with underwear that still had price tags on. “My mother never spent it. She saved it for her children’s future,” Hyunsook said.
Moved by her mother’s heart, she decided to donate. “Since my mother suffered in the hospital, I thought it would be good to help children with leukemia get surgery, so I added my own money and donated 100 million won to the hospital where my mother stayed. I helped 38 children with leukemia get surgery,” she said. The revelation drew warm reactions from viewers.
