SM Group Chairman Woo Oh Hyun Donates 2.3 Billion Won in Development Funds to Yeoju University

Donations for Scholarships and Educational Infrastructure

Cumulative Contributions Exceed 10 Billion Won Over Five Years

Woo Oh Hyun, Chairman of SM Group, donated 2.3 billion won to Yeoju University through the Samra Hope Foundation.

Woo Oh Hyun, Chairman of SM Group. Provided by SM Group

According to SM Group on March 4, this donation is the second contribution following a 3.3 billion won gift in November 2024. Over the past five years, Chairman Woo's total donations to Yeoju University—including scholarships and support for educational infrastructure improvements—have surpassed 10 billion won.

Previously, since 2022, Chairman Woo has donated around 1 billion won in scholarships annually for all incoming freshmen. In December 2024, he also decided on an investment of 6.5 billion won to renovate facilities such as dormitories and lecture halls, enhancing convenience for students and staff at Yeoju University.

Last month, ahead of the new semester, he awarded another round of scholarships—providing 1 million won to each of the 1,141 freshmen. Additionally, in response to high inflation, he supported students’ meal expenses with a 500 million won fund so they could purchase lunch and dinner for 3,000 won each. Chairman Woo is known for his dedication to strengthening the educational competitiveness of regional universities and, consequently, revitalizing the local economy.

An SM Group representative stated, “(Chairman Woo) personally experienced having to give up his dream of attending university despite being accepted, due to difficult circumstances. This has made him especially empathetic to students facing hardships,” adding, “We plan to further expand multifaceted support so that local communities can become more vibrant through educational promotion and talent development.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.