Samsung family donation funds treatment for 14,000 children in South Korea

The Seoul National University Hospital Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Support Group announced that a donation from the family of the late Lee Kun-hee has provided medical care to thousands of children in South Korea.

The group launched the Lee Kun-hee Pediatric Cancer and Rare Disease Overcoming Project in April 2021 using a 300 billion won donation from the late Samsung chairman's family. The project aims to run for 10 years until 2030.

Since its inception, the initiative has diagnosed 22,646 patients and treated 14,757 children. The team has identified and diagnosed more than 20 rare diseases that previously lacked specific names. Additionally, the hospital used its manufacturing system for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy to provide treatment to 21 pediatric patients with blood cancer. Currently, 190 research projects supported by the fund involve 185 organizations and 1,411 medical staff members.

Jang Seok-hoon, the head of Samsung's social contribution business, stated that the project reflects the late chairman's philosophy of respecting human life.