Kim Ji-won Donates 100 Million Won to Children’s Hospital After Doctor X Filming

Kim Ji-won’s New Medical Drama Inspired Her to Help Young Patients in Real Life

Kim Ji-won’s upcoming role as a surgeon has led to an act of support extending far beyond the fictional hospital where her new drama takes place.

Seoul National University Children’s Hospital announced on Aug. 10 that the actress had donated 100 million won three days earlier. The money will support medical expenses for children from low-income families and help improve hospital wards used by young patients with severe, rare and difficult-to-treat conditions.

Kim explained that the decision was connected to what she learned while filming SBS’s upcoming medical drama Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia.

“During the filming of Doctor X, I encountered stories about medical professionals working through difficult circumstances and children living with illness, which led me to make this donation,” she said. “I want to express my sincere gratitude and support to the medical workers, young patients and families who are still doing their best today.”

Where the 100 Million Won Will Go

The donation has two closely connected purposes: reducing the financial pressure of long-term treatment and creating a safer, more comfortable environment for children receiving care.

Seoul National University Children’s Hospital treats patients who travel from across South Korea, including children with rare and intractable diseases, pediatric cancers and leukemia. Many of these conditions require repeated procedures, operations and extended hospital visits, creating emotional and financial pressure for entire families.

The hospital is also undertaking a major project to improve aging wards. For children who repeatedly return for treatment or remain hospitalized for long periods, the condition of those spaces affects more than convenience. A child-friendly environment can help patients and caregivers manage the stress of treatment while allowing medical teams to provide care more safely.

Hospital director Chae Jong-hee thanked Kim and said the funds would be used carefully to assist families struggling with treatment costs. She added that the hospital would work to ensure children arriving with hope from across the country could concentrate on treatment in a safe and welcoming space.

Why Doctor X Became the Starting Point

Kim is currently filming Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia, an SBS medical noir scheduled to premiere in October.

Adapted from the Japanese television franchise Doctor-X, the Korean series follows Gye Su-jeong, a highly skilled freelance surgeon dispatched to a university hospital affected by corruption and internal power struggles. Kim plays the uncompromising surgeon, who is known for allowing her medical ability rather than institutional status to speak for her.

The drama also stars Lee Jung-eun, Son Hyun-joo and Kim Woo-seok. Director Lee Jung-rim, whose credits include VIP and Revenant, leads the production.

Although the story presents an intensified and fictionalized hospital system, producing a medical drama requires performers to spend extended periods engaging with medical terminology, treatment stories and the realities faced by health professionals. For Kim, that process appears to have created a more personal awareness of children undergoing serious treatment.

Her donation does not claim that a television production can represent every part of pediatric care. Instead, it transforms what she encountered during the project into practical assistance for patients and their families.

A Hospital With a National Role in Pediatric Care

Seoul National University Children’s Hospital opened in 1985 as Korea’s first university-affiliated children’s hospital. It operates specialized facilities including pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, pediatric emergency services and departments dedicated to complex childhood conditions.

Because it handles difficult cases referred from across the country, many families must manage transportation, accommodation and lost working time in addition to direct medical expenses. The burden becomes particularly serious when treatment continues over months or years.

Previous donations to the hospital have helped finance care for children who might otherwise face difficulties continuing treatment. Recent hospital data released in connection with other donation programs indicated that approximately 2,900 young patients received around 1 billion won in medical-expense assistance between 2020 and 2024.

Kim’s contribution will add to that support while also helping upgrade the physical spaces where treatment takes place.

Kim Ji-won’s Continuing Philanthropic Work

The donation follows other charitable activities by Kim, who rose to wider international prominence through dramas including Descendants of the Sun, Fight for My Way, My Liberation Notes and the global hit Queen of Tears.

In 2020, she contributed to efforts supporting medical personnel and patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. She later participated in activities supporting people experiencing housing insecurity and donated to recovery efforts following South Korea’s 2025 wildfires.

Her latest contribution is particularly connected to her present work. It shows how research and experiences gathered for a role can continue beyond the screen, creating assistance for the people whose real lives exist behind a fictional medical story.