Actor Yoo Ji-tae revealed that the sudden death of a close stunt performer pushed him to start studying social welfare.
On July 14, Yoo appeared on actor Lee Min-jung's YouTube channel, opening up about his acting career, philanthropy, and future dreams.
When asked why he became interested in social welfare, Yoo recalled a colleague he trained with at an action school. "Back then, actors and stunt performers trained side by side and naturally formed a deep camaraderie," he said. "One stunt performer I was very close to died in a traffic accident while returning to his lodging after finishing a shoot in China." He continued, "Most actors and on-site staff are on temporary or non-regular contracts, so there are gray areas where they aren't institutionally protected. It was a huge shock to realize that even friends who had worked on sets for years had virtually no safety net."
That experience led Yoo to decide he needed to study social welfare systems firsthand. He later enrolled in the Graduate School of Social Welfare at Catholic University and continued related studies for about a year and a half.
During his studies, he learned that welfare blind spots exist not only in the film industry but across society. "A classmate who worked at the YWCA described the realities facing women and children who survive domestic violence," Yoo said. "At the time, survivors had to leave shelters after a set period. Without a foundation for independence, many returned to abusive homes and ended up back in shelters, creating a vicious cycle."
Believing survivors need a bridge between shelters and full independence, Yoo said he set up a 'middle house'—a transitional space to help them become economically and emotionally self-sufficient.
At the end of the interview, Yoo also shared a major goal for the future: creating a medical cooperative-style hospital for film workers. "I can't become a doctor right now, so building a hospital myself is difficult," he said. "But my vague dream is to create a hospital where members of directing teams, crew, and actors who haven't prepared enough for retirement can pay an affordable fee and receive medical services."
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-tae debuted on the big screen in 1998. This year, he starred in the film The King's Warden, which surpassed 16.9 million admissions, cementing his status as a ten-million actor.