Former national soccer team star–turned–entertainer Ahn Jung-hwan has revealed why he donates all of his YouTube earnings to charity.
Recently, tvN variety show You Quiz on the Block dropped a pre-release clip featuring Ahn. In the video, he opened up about the philosophy and sincerity behind donating his YouTube revenue. "From the very start, I wanted my channel to be a way to give back — to share what I have with kids," Ahn said, adding, "As I kept going, I felt a stronger urge to help those in even tougher situations."
Ahn’s YouTube channel, Ahn Jung-hwan 19, has raised a cumulative donation total of about 436 million KRW over roughly five years. The funds reportedly support multiple causes, including low-income grandparent-led families, children from multicultural households, youth soccer scholarships, and university soccer development programs.
Ahn also explained why many of his donations focus on young soccer hopefuls. "Soccer is a sport that can get expensive, and there are many kids in difficult circumstances," he said. "I didn’t grow up with much either, so I wanted to help." He added, "It started small, but little by little, it brought us this far."
He admitted the donation process hasn’t been easy. "Given today’s tough economy, it took a long time to hit our targets," Ahn shared. "We’re still pushing toward a 500 million KRW donation goal," he said, prompting warm reactions. He wrapped up by asking for support: "There are many challenges, but I’ll do my best until the end."
Debuting in 1998 with the Busan Daewoo Royals (now Busan IPark), Ahn was a key figure in South Korea’s legendary semifinal run at the 2002 Korea–Japan FIFA World Cup. He later played in Italy, Japan, France, Germany, and China before retiring and transitioning to TV, appearing on multiple variety shows, including JTBC’s Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.