Seoul National University Hospital said on the 27th that a donor in his 70s, Kim Geo-seok, donated 100,000 units of the cryptocurrency (virtual currency) XRP. As of the afternoon of the previous day, it was worth about 2.1 billion won.
Kim drew attention in Nov. last year by donating 1 bitcoin to Seoul National University Hospital. The hospital said it will convert this donation into cash in accordance with relevant guidelines and use it for the hospital development fund and the Children's Hospital Development Fund.
Earlier, Kim also donated 900 million won in cash to Seoul National University Hospital. Cumulative donations, including virtual currencies such as bitcoin and XRP, amount to about 1.27 billion won.
Kim is said to have had a deep interest in future technology fields such as virtual assets, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computers. In addition to Seoul National University Hospital, Kim has consistently donated virtual assets to Community Chest of Korea and the Korean Red Cross, practicing a new way of sharing in step with the times.
Kim said, "I hope various means of sharing that are not bound by existing methods will bring positive change to our society."
Hospital Director Kim Young-tae said, "The hospital will continue to respond flexibly to a changing environment and do its best to ensure that donors' valuable intentions are used meaningfully."