Park Bo-gum and G-Dragon Join a Heartfelt Mission—The World's First Project Is Drawing Waves of Support

Singer Sean has officially opened the world’s first-ever care hospital for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), making a long-held dream come true.

On April 6, a video was uploaded to Sean’s YouTube channel “With Sean”, documenting the hospital’s opening ceremony. Sean attended the event with his wife Jung Hye-young, and the ceremony gained even more meaning with the presence of global star Park Bo-gum, known for his role in the hit Netflix drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines.”

Standing in front of the hospital, Sean introduced it by saying, “This is my building—my friend, the late Park Seung-il, and I dreamed of building the world’s first ALS care hospital.”

He emphasized, “There’s not a single hospital like this anywhere else in the world.”

The hospital broke ground in 2023 and cost approximately 23.9 billion KRW (about $16.4 million USD) to complete.

Park Seung-il was a former basketball player for Yonsei University and Kia Motors, later serving as a coach for the Ulsan Mobis professional team before being diagnosed with ALS in 2002. He fought the disease for 23 years.

In 2011, Sean and Park co-founded the Seungil Hope Foundation, launching awareness and fundraising efforts—including Korea’s Ice Bucket Challenge—to support ALS patients and fund the creation of the hospital. Unfortunately, Park passed away just three months before the project’s completion.

Inside the hospital lobby, a “Donor Wall” was unveiled, honoring those who contributed over 100 million KRW. Donors include G-Dragon, and the 'Unknown Crew', a group of celebrities including Sean, Park Bo-gum, Lee Young-pyo, Jo Won-hee, Yoon Se-ah, Yang Dong-geun, and Lee Si-young.

Seeing the donor wall, Park Bo-gum said with emotion, “It’s truly moving.”

Sean also mentioned that many of Park Bo-gum’s fans had generously donated, which visibly touched the actor. Park Bo-gum later shared, “I’m just so happy and proud to witness this beautiful miracle. I feel incredibly grateful.”

Get the latest on K-pop & K-drama here!