Actress Lee Mi-sook plans to donate entire fortune to society

Actress Lee Mi-sook has drawn attention by expressing her intention to proactively design her later years and donate her assets to society. As Lee, who has two children, prioritized social contribution over inheritance, public interest is growing regarding her philosophy on life.

On the 21st, via her YouTube channel 'Lee Mi-sook_Suk-seureoun Mi-sook-ssi', Lee shared her thoughts on aging while touring a townhouse in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, with her older sister.

Currently residing in Gwangju, Lee explained her choice of location, stating, "I have lived here for about 10 years." She added, "I moved here intending to spend my final years in Gwangju. I have no reason to leave for Seoul. It's not completely rural, so it's not inconvenient to visit hospitals."

For Lee, Gwangju is not just a current residence, but a place she has kept in mind for the end of her life. She revealed she has been contemplating her retirement and the conclusion of her life, saying, "I am planning my future, such as whether I will end my life in an apartment."

She emphasized, "If you prepare for the end of life only when it is imminent, it will be too late. You must design it from now." Unlike typical retirement planning that focuses primarily on economic stability, Lee appears to be thinking concretely about everything from her living space to the final stages of her life.

The most talked-about moment was her remark regarding her assets. When the production team asked about her plans for her wealth, Lee said, "I have also taken out a lot of insurance," and added, "I should die after donating all my assets to society."

Although Lee is a top actress presumed to have accumulated significant wealth, she has directly expressed her intention to choose social contribution over leaving an inheritance to her children. However, she did not disclose the specific methods or fields for her donations.

Her older sister joked, "I think you'll spend it all before you donate it," to which Lee laughed and retorted, "I'll spend it first, and if I want to live until 200 years old, wouldn't I need more money?" It was a scene where she addressed the potentially solemn topics of aging and inheritance with her characteristic cheerful wit.

Born in 1960, Lee entered the entertainment industry through the Miss Lotte pageant in 1978. Since then, she has built a wide acting spectrum moving between films and dramas, evolving from a youth star into a veteran actress who has spanned eras of Korean popular culture.

Her personal life has also long garnered public interest. Lee married plastic surgeon Hong Seong-ho in 1987 and has one son and one daughter; the couple eventually divorced in 2007 after a long period of separation. Afterward, she continued her acting career while raising her two children.

Throughout her long career, Lee has been relatively honest not only about her roles but also about her life and choices. This recent revelation is especially meaningful as she shares her values regarding how to navigate the latter half of her life.

While inheritance is the traditional method of transferring wealth to family, social contribution is a choice to return accumulated resources to the community, moving beyond the boundaries of the individual and the family. Lee's statement, "I should die after donating all my assets to society," can be seen as a personal philosophy on how to complete her life's journey, going beyond a simple plan for asset disposal.