Soccer Star Ahn Jung-hwan Donates 436 Million KRW in YouTube Profits to Support Youth

Former national soccer player Ahn Jung-hwan has donated his cumulative YouTube revenue of 436 million won (~$335,000 USD) to support low-income families and aspiring young athletes. Appearing on You Quiz on the Block, Ahn explained that his personal childhood hardships motivated him to help others facing similar environmental challenges.

Key Facts

• The 436 million won (~$335,000 USD) donation was generated entirely through his YouTube channel, "Ahn Jung-hwan 19."
• Funds are allocated to low-income grandparent-headed households, youth scholarships, and college soccer development.
• Ahn launched the channel as a "talent donation" project to provide free soccer instruction to children.
• The shift to financial donations was spurred by the high costs of soccer and the financial struggles of young players and coaches.
• Host Yoo Jae-suk noted that donating 100% of YouTube proceeds is an exceptionally rare and difficult decision.
• Ahn credited the milestone to the collective support of his subscribers and advertisers during a difficult economy.

Key Terms

• Ahn Jung-hwan 19: The YouTube channel where all generated revenue is directed toward charitable causes.
• Talent Donation: A charitable act where individuals leverage professional skills to help others for free; this was the channel's original model.

Key Quote

"Since I wasn't well-off when I was young, I could empathize more. The small-scale donation I started has continued until now." — Ahn Jung-hwan

Next

• Ahn aims to reach a new milestone of 500 million won (~$385,000 USD) in total donations.
• The channel continues to manage production and labor costs to maintain its charitable mission.