Filial piety: Actor Nam Yoon-su donates kidney to father

South Korean actor Nam Yoon-su's act of sacrifice is a story that has touched the hearts of many, as the actor most recently demonstrated a noble act of sacrifice by donating his kidney to his father.

Nam Yoon-su is a South Korean actor who first started out his showbiz career as a model.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

Born on July 14, 1997, in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, Nam Yoon-su started out his career as a model while schooling in Hanlim Multi Art School, where he was studying in the Fashion Model department.

According to an interview with Musinsa, Nam Yoon-su was so popular and had such great potential as a model that five modelling agencies had attempted to sign him on during his second year. He then signed on with Agency Garten and made his debut in CeCi magazine at 18.

Despite his rather flourishing career as a model, Namu reports that Nam Yoon-su decided to delve into acting and started to pivot into acting in 2018 after four years of modelling.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

Nam Yoon-su’s first acting gig was on the 2018 MBC drama ‘4 Kinds of House', and he later went on to also act in the web drama ‘Want More 19’ in the same year, reports Seoul Daily.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

However, it was only two years after his first acting debut that Nam Yoon-su started to gain prominence in the acting industry when he was nominated for a Best New Actor award for the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for his work in Netflix’s ‘Extracurricular’, reports MBC.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

Since then, you might have seen Nam Yoon-su in other acting works such as ‘Live Your Strength’, ‘Birthcare Center’, ‘Beyond Evil’, and ‘The King’s Affection’!

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

Nam Yoon-su is still active as an actor in 2024, with a new drama, 'Lovestruck in the City', set to be released later that year. However, he is currently in the headlines owing to the news that his father was gravely ill and required a kidney transplant, according to Chosun.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

When it was revealed that his father needed a kidney transplant, Allkpop reported that Nam Yoon-su paused his career to prepare to donate his kidney to his father early this year until the transplant date of June 19. Both father and son were finally discharged in July.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram

According to Chosun, Nam Yoon-su's gesture of filial piety and sacrifice for his father moved many people. The hospital they were in had more to say about the actor, adding that he had maintained a "bright and positive attitude" since preparing for the transplant and had kept his family in mind during the entire process.

Image: nam_yoonsu/ Instagram