Singer Sean from 'Omniscient Interfering View' revealed his fulfilling life.
In the episode aired on the 6th of MBC's entertainment show 'Omniscient Interfering View' (hereinafter 'Omni View'), Sean, who has consistently shown acts of charity and goodwill, appeared. Jun Hyun-moo jovially introduced him, saying, "The cumulative donation amount is 6.5 billion won. These days, young friends think he is a well-performing social worker. However, he is a hip-hop warrior who existed before BLACKPINK and BIGBANG."
Hong Hyun-hee recalled the fame of Jinusean, saying, "'Tell me' no one hasn't experienced this." Han Ji-eun explained, "I was a huge fan of Jinusean. There was a record-signing event at the record store in my neighborhood. I waited in line to get an autograph," boasting an unexpected age group and describing herself as a fan to Sean.
Sean was already famous just for his donation amounts. Jun Hyun-moo asked, "Has the cumulative donation amount increased by several billion won?" Sean replied, "The amount donated by my wife Jeong Hye-young and me alone is 6.5 billion won," adding, "We are working on a 44 billion won children's hospital, a donation worth 23.9 billion won, and a project to build houses for independence activists," surprising everyone.
He said, "After getting married, my wife Jeong Hye-young and I saved 10,000 won a day, and when we saved 3.65 million won in a year, we donated that. It has been 20 years. I never thought it would accumulate so much," explaining that he started small. Sean, who wanted to give back the joy he received by having children, mentioned that he donated 20 million won from each of his children's first birthday celebrations to the hospital. He said, "Our children held hands with neighbors during their first birthday celebration," which brought Han Ji-eun to tears.
In addition, Sean made efforts to raise awareness for building a children's rehabilitation hospital. His action was to cycle nonstop from Busan to Seoul.
Sean said, "I cycled 430 km from Busan to Seoul without sleeping." He remarked, "Of course I was sleepy. After about 12 hours, I felt sleepy while climbing a hill. So, I drank two energy drinks and pushed on," adding, "But that day, I had plans to take my kids to Yangyang. So I went home, took a little nap, and then drove them to Yangyang," showcasing that he was not neglecting parenting.
He has become known for marathon donations in recent years. The 815 marathon involves running 81.5 km, with the goal of building houses for independence activists. Sean explained, "Participants pay an entry fee and receive sponsorships from corporations. In the first year, 330 million won was raised, allowing us to build the first house," mentioning that Park Bogum, NewJeans' Daniel, and actress Yoon Se-ah participated. He added, "The goal is to build 100 houses. Originally, we didn't plan to go that far. The owner of the first house, Kim Geum-soon, took my hand and said, 'I never thought I would live in such a nice house my whole life,' which brought me to tears. So, I committed to building up to 100 houses," leaving everyone in awe.
Additionally, Sean completed a long-term care hospital for ALS, which the late Park Seung-il had suffered from. He also led three rounds of the Ice Bucket Challenge for this cause. Song Eun-i asked, "Weren't there initially some negative perspectives?" Sean shared, "Korea has a somewhat rigid view on donations. During the Ice Bucket Challenge, smiles were met with skepticism. People questioned if we could just do it through donations, but then it would just end there. That's why the challenge ended in just a month," expressing his disappointment.
It is also said that the ALS rehabilitation hospital experiences an annual deficit of 2 to 3 billion won. Jun Hyun-moo expressed concern, asking, "Isn't it possible to turn it into a surplus?" However, Sean responded, "Absolutely not. That's why donations are essential. So I'm hopeful that we can get 1,000 churches to donate 100,000 won a month, and 10,000 individuals, alongside the foundation's events, to gather around 3 billion won."
[Photo from] MBC entertainment show 'Omniscient Interfering View' broadcast screen capture.
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