On the program "My Ugly Duckling," the fact that Choo Shin-soo, a "$30 million major leaguer," donated a total of 2.5 billion won and is known as the "angel of charity in the baseball world" is once again drawing attention.
Choo mentioned his salary during the SBS entertainment show "My Ugly Duckling," which aired on the 4th.
Previously, Choo honestly revealed, "When I received the highest salary in Major League Baseball, it was about 1.3 to 1.4 billion won every two weeks, and my annual salary was $21 million (approximately 30 billion won)." He began receiving $1.37 million (approximately 1.5 billion won) from his first contract with the Seattle Mariners, and after seven years in the minor leagues, he gained worldwide attention with a large free-agent contract worth 140 billion won.
However, behind his glamorous career lies silent sacrifice and charitable practice. When returning to Korea, the salary proposed to him was about 2.7 billion won. He decided to voluntarily reduce his salary by over 1 billion won, judging that it would impose a burden on the team’s overall salary cap, and chose to coexist with the team. He has already been reducing his salary for three years and has chosen harmony with his juniors.
In particular, Choo is also leading the way in donations and sponsorships for promising baseball players, with a cumulative donation amounting to 2.5 billion won to date. He stated, "I believe raising a good player is also part of my responsibility," and has gained respect in the baseball community for not only providing financial support but also directly mentoring younger players.
Choo, who is praised for having "personality equal to his salary," shines even brighter in values that cannot be calculated by numbers—through donations, consideration, and dedication to the team.
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