South Korean actress Lee Young-ae, who became a household name in Asia after starring in the popular historical drama Jewel In The Palace in 2003, has donated 100mil won (RM346,808) to help those affected by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia military conflict.
The donation was disclosed by Dmytro Ponomarenko, the Ukrainian Ambassador-designate to South Korea, in a Twitter post on Tuesday (March 1).
"We are very excited and touched by the letter and the great financial contribution of the famous Korean actress Lee Young-ae in support of Ukraine and the demand to end the war as soon as possible," he wrote in English.
"The donations will be transferred to the needs of victims of Russian aggression."
Ponomarenko attached a photo of the cheque and letter by Lee in the post.
According to a translation by The Korea Times, she wrote: "As a family member of a war veteran, I can certainly sympathise with the horrors of war more than anyone else."
"I hope the war in Ukraine will end soon, and I pray for the well-being and safety of all Ukrainian citizens," she wrote.
Lee, 51, is best known for her role as Jang-geum, a woman who goes from palace cook to royal physician, in Jewel In The Palace.
She took a break from acting after 2005 and married Korean-American businessman Jeong Ho-yeong in 2009. She gave birth to twins – son Seung-kwon and daughter Seung-bin – in 2011.
The actress recently acted in the missing-child thriller Bring Me Home (2019) and television series Inspector Koo (2021). – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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