"A new culture of sharing"…Mr. Kim Geo-seok delivers 'Bitcoin' to Seoul National University Hospital

Mr. Kim Geo-seok, a private investor in his 70s

Has donated a cumulative 1 billion won to Seoul National University Hospital

Also supported the Korean Red Cross and the Community Chest of Korea

Mr. Kim's remarks: "I want to continue sharing"

The story of donating '1 Bitcoin' to Seoul National University Hospital has attracted attention. One Bitcoin is currently worth about 150 million won.

On the 11th, according to Seoul National University Hospital, donor Mr. Kim Geo-seok donated 1 Bitcoin to the hospital development fund. This is reported to be the first donation in the form of digital assets received by Seoul National University Hospital. The hospital plans to liquidate this donation and use it for the hospital development fund in accordance with the government's guidelines for converting virtual assets of non-profit corporations into cash.

Donor Mr. Kim Geo-seok is known as a private investor in his 70s with a deep interest in future technology investment areas such as virtual assets, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computers. Previously, he donated 800 million won to the hospital development fund and 100 million won to a fund supporting low-income patients at Seoul National University Hospital.

Adding the one Bitcoin donated this time, valued at about 158 million won, Mr. Kim's cumulative donations far exceed 1.05 billion won.

Earlier in August, he also donated 1 Bitcoin each to the Korean Red Cross and the Community Chest of Korea, and has steadily provided each institution with donations amounting to about 1 billion won.

At the handover ceremony held at Seoul National University Hospital the day before, Mr. Kim said, "I think Bitcoin is a new donation tool that fits the flow of the times," and "I hope this donation becomes an opportunity to spread a new form of sharing culture, and I want to continue this form of sustained sharing in the future."

Meanwhile, Seoul National University Hospital said it plans to establish internal procedures to stably accept digital asset donations in light of this case, and to set up an operational system so that donated funds can be widely used across various fields such as education, research, clinical services, and public health medical projects.

Choi Su-jin, Hankyung.com reporter naive@hankyung.com