[Sportschosun, Cho Yoon-sun] Actor Yoo Ji-tae opened up about how the sudden death of a close action actor led him to begin studying social welfare.
On the 14th, a video titled "Yoo Ji-tae Spent Three Hours Chatting Excitedly and Left. Came to Unload His Frustrations from 'Ssalhanhyeong' *Yoo Ji-tae Life Briefing" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Lee Min-jung MJ."
When asked what sparked his interest in social welfare, Yoo Ji-tae began by saying, "Back in our day, there were action schools, so we trained with action actors and built a sense of camaraderie."
He recalled, "There was an action actor I was very close with, and he died in a car accident while returning to his lodging after filming in China." He added, "We were contract workers and non-regular employees, so there were blind spots. That really hit me hard."
He went on to say, "My friend had spent a year working on set, but I realized there was no protection at all. I felt I needed to learn more, so I started studying for about a year and a half at the graduate school of social welfare at The Catholic University of Korea."
While continuing his studies in social welfare, he also came to learn about the realities faced by women and children who had suffered domestic violence. Yoo Ji-tae explained, "I had an acquaintance working at the YWCA, and I realized we were not the only ones in a blind spot." He added, "During a class briefing, I learned that women and children who had suffered domestic violence had to leave shelters after just six months. That meant they were sent back to abusive homes, beaten again, and then re-admitted, creating a vicious cycle. After hearing that they needed a halfway house where they could become financially and mentally independent, I said, 'Then let's do it together,' and we built one."
He said, "Because I was a celebrity, the halfway house became known, and the Korea National Housing Corporation provided support for about 200 households." He added, "It was a miracle. I think our profession can play that kind of role. It feels like we are semi-public figures."
Yoo Ji-tae also spoke about his dream for the future, saying, "I want to build a cooperative hospital. I can't become a doctor right now, so I can't build a hospital." He continued, "But my vague dream is to create a hospital where people in our directing teams, staff, and actors who have not prepared for old age can receive medical services by paying a certain amount."
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
