“Gold isn’t sponsored”: So Ji-sub spends 100 million won on staff, also surprises a Taiwanese fan with a pure-gold plaque

[Financial News] Actor So Ji-sub has drawn attention after it emerged that he gave gold to the cast and crew of a drama. This time, he has attracted attention by giving a Taiwanese fan a pure-gold plaque he paid for himself.
According to YTN and other outlets on the 10th, So Ji-sub gave gold to a fan at the Asia fan meeting “Soulmate The Timeless,” held on the 7th at the Taipei International Convention Center in Taiwan.
To receive the gift, fans had to answer five of seven quiz questions correctly about his works and career. After passing the challenge with help from hints from fans, a woman named Jessica, who was seated in the audience on the sixth floor, was selected in a random drawing.
So Ji-sub said, “I usually prepare gifts to thank the production crew for their hard work whenever filming on a project wraps, and gold got the best response. This time, I prepared something special for my Taiwanese fans, who always show me so much love.”
The pure-gold plaque So Ji-sub handed over in person was engraved with a message of thanks to his local fans, his name in English, and the event date, “November 7.”
In response to the host’s joke, “Are you thinking of giving away a house next time, too?”, So Ji-sub wittily replied, “I guess I’ll have to devote myself even more to acting from now on.”
This is not the first time So Ji-sub has given gold as a gift. After filming wrapped last year on the Netflix drama “Mercy for None,” he gave one don (3.75 grams) of gold to each of his fellow actors and every staff member. When the SBS Friday–Saturday drama “Agent Kim Reactivated” ended last July, he also gave 1-gram gold bars to the entire cast and crew, numbering around 300 people. The cost alone is estimated at around 100 million won.
So Ji-sub appeared on the YouTube channel “Channel Fullmoon” in June last year and said, “For a long time, I’d give people something at my own expense whenever filming wrapped, but everyone thought it was sponsored. Gold isn’t sponsored, and I gave it to them so they could sell it and use the money later if times got tough.”
[email protected] Su-yeon Kim Reporter