Prior to founding the Lee Tae Seok Foundation, Goo Soo-hwan had a long tenure as a producer and director of the Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), South Korea’s leading public broadcast company. As a longtime war correspondent, Mr. Goo spread awareness to the Korean populace about the horrors of war, reporting from Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Myanmar, among other war torn regions. 

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One of the most unique and inspirational stories he had encountered was of the late Lee Tae Seok, the Korean priest who dedicated his life to saving South Sudanese patients without access to healthcare and giving education opportunities to former child soldiers. Mr. Goo produced and directed a documentary about Lee Tae Seok’s time in South Sudan until his death, titled “Don’t Cry for Me, South Sudan”. It aired in South Korea, the United States and across Europe and was watched by nearly 10 million viewers. The documentary received critical acclaim and contributed internationally to shedding light on the lives of many South Sudanese people and the harsh realities they face. Mr. Goo also released a sequel documentary in 2020, titled “Resurrection”.

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However, the mission was to do more than to share the story of Lee Tae Seok and the people of Tonj. The Lee Tae Seok Foundation was thus established on January 31, 2012 with the purpose of continuing Lee Tae Seok’s lifelong commitment to helping and serving people in need. Our understanding of his philosophy is that giving hope and compassion to people in need is more impactful than simply sending material goods. This philosophy has been fully adopted by the Foundation and continues to be central in guiding our work.

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We are proud of the work we have been able to accomplish in just over a decade. But we are much more excited about the positive impact we will make in the years to come.​​