Lee Joong-geun, Founder of Booyoung, Makes Another 'Generous Donation'... Gives 100 Million Won Each to 10 Elementary School Classmates (Comprehensive)

Lee Joong-geun, founder of Booyoung Group (photo), has once again made a generous donation.

Lee Joong-geun, Founder of Booyoung Group

According to Booyoung Group on the 16th, Lee recently distributed 100 million won each to 10 alumni of Dongsan Elementary School through his personal bank account. He made additional payments after hearing that some elementary school alumni did not receive benefits.

In June, Lee gave up to 100 million won each to about 280 households in six villages of Unpyeong-ri, his hometown in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do. Prior to this, he gave 100 million won each to male alumni of Dongsan Elementary School and graduates of Suncheon Middle School, and 50 million won each to alumni of Suncheon High School from the same class (8th cohort).

Born into a poor farming family in Jukdong Village, Unpyeong-ri, Lee graduated from Dongsan Elementary School (25th class) and Suncheon Middle School (15th class), then moved to Seoul where he earned a master's and doctoral degree in public administration from Korea University Graduate School of Policy Studies. He is currently studying constitutional law. With a special love for his hometown, he has also engaged in social contribution activities in education, including establishing Booyoung Elementary School in Suncheon in 1991.

So far, Lee is known to have personally donated 160 billion won in cash to about 1,300 people including relatives, elementary, middle, and high school alumni, military comrades and fellow soldiers, villagers, and other people in need around him. Including gift sets, tool sets, history books, and other items, the total donation amounts to 260 billion won.

Lee’s donations were quietly made until rumors spread in his hometown, bringing them to public attention. As a businessman who left his hometown long ago, he said he shared money out of gratitude to the residents who have stayed to protect the hometown and the friends who helped and supported each other while growing up. He plans to continue donating as long as he is able.

Meanwhile, Booyoung Group continues to practice environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management through social contribution activities in various fields both domestically and internationally. In addition to Lee’s personal donations, the group has donated domestic educational and cultural facilities, built elementary schools and provided educational equipment overseas to improve educational conditions, run scholarship programs, delivered welfare supplies to military units, operated rent-free daycare centers for residents, and supported the globalization of Taekwondo. The total amount donated to society so far exceeds 1.1 trillion won.